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•V 


LIFE   OF 

AMOS   A.  LAWRENCE 


WITH  EXTRACTS  FROM  HIS  DIARY 
AND   CORRESPONDENCE 


BY  HIS   SON 
WILLIAM   LAWRENCE 


BOSTON  AND   NEW  YORK 
HOUGHTON,    MIFFLIN    AND    COMPANY 

(Cte  fitoerjsi&e  $re0£,  Camfcn&ge 

1888 


Copyright,  1888, 
Bl  WILLIAM  LAWRENCE. 

All  rights  reserved. 


The  Riverside  Press,  Cambridge: 
Electrotyped  and  Printed  by  H.  0.  Houghton  &  Co. 


SRU 
URL 


To 
MY  MOTHER 

31  3fn£cri6e 
VOLUME 


PREFACE. 


IN  gathering  together  these  fragments  of 
my  father's  journal  and  letters,  I  have  hoped 
to  recall  to  his  family  and  friends  his  charac- 
ter and  presence. 

At  the  same  time  I  have  had  another  ob- 
ject in  view. 

Living  as  he  did  in  the  stirring  times  be- 
fore and  during  the  war  and  taking  his  part 
in  the  patriotic,  social,  commercial,  and  reli- 
gious activities,  his  experience  has  its  practi- 
cal bearings  and  his  example  a  close  touch 
upon  the  life  of  every  man  who,  like  him, 
wishes  to  do  his  simple  duty  as  a  citizen. 
The  record  of  his  motives  and  work  may, 
therefore,  have  an  interest  and  inspiration 
which  some  may  not  find  in  the  biographies 
of  greater  men. 


VI  PREFACE. 

For  assistance  in  this  work  I  am  indebted 
to  a  number  of  his  friends,  to  the  Diary  and 
Correspondence  of  Amos  Lawrence,  and  es- 
pecially to  Professor  L.  W.  Spring  and  his 
History  of  Kansas. 

W.  L. 

CAMBRIDGE,   January,  1888. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

1814-1&31. 

PAGE 

PAKENTAGE.  —  GKOTON.  —  SCHOOL  DAYS  IN  BOS- 
TON AND  ANDOVER 1 

CHAPTER  IL 

1831-1835. 

HARVARD  COLLEGE.  —  RUSTICATION  AT  BEDFORD 
AND  ANDOVER.  —  JOURNEY  TO  WASHINGTON.  — 
SENIOR  YEAR 11 

CHAPTER  in. 

1835-1839. 

JOURNEY  IN  THE  WEST  AND  SOUTH.  —  BUSINESS.  — 
BOSTON  SOCIETY.  —  FIREMAN.  —  RELIGION  .  .  26 

CHAPTER  IV. 

1839-1840. 

EUROPE.  —  ROME.  —  FLORENCE. — ENGLAND. —  IRE- 
LAND. —  FATHER  MATHEW 36 


Vlii  CONTENTS. 

,  CHAPTER  V. 
1841-1853. 

MARRIAGE.  —  MASON  AND  LAWRENCE. —  BUSINESS 
HABITS. —  CHARITIES. —  CONFIRMATION. —  ROU- 
TINE. —  COTTAGE  FARM. —  ATHLETICS. —  LYNN. 
—  His  FATHER'S  DEATH.  —  THE  LOST  DAU- 
PHIN. —  WISCONSIN.  —  LAWRENCE  UNIVER- 
SITY   49 

CHAPTER  VL 

1854-1856. 

KANSAS  -  NEBRASKA  BILL.  —  ANTHONY  BURNS. — 
NEW  ENGLAND  EMIGRANT  AID  COMPANY.  — 
FIRST  KANSAS  EMIGRANT  PARTIES.  —  CITY 
OF  LAWRENCE,  KANSAS. — TREASURER'S 
WORK.  —  KANSAS  STRUGGLE.  —  PIERCE  AND 
ATOHISON.  —  DR.  ROBINSON.  —  SHARPS  RI- 
FLES. —  ABIDE  BY  THE  UNITED  STATES  LAW  73 

CHAPTER  VII. 

1856. 

RELIEF  FOR  KANSAS.  —  RELEASE  OF  DR.  ROBIN- 
SON. —  KANSAS  FREE.  —  FREE  STATE  COL- 
LEGE. —  KANSAS  EDUCATION.  —  KANSAS  UNI- 
VERSITY   107 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

1855-1859. 

JOHN  BROWN.  —  LETTER  TO  KANSAS.  —  SUBSCRIP- 
TION FOR  FARM,  NORTH  ELBA. — HARPER'S 
FERRY.  —  LETTERS  TO  GOVERNOR  WISE  AND 
JEFFERSON  DAVIS .122 


CONTENTS.  IX 

CHAPTER  IX. 

1856-1861. 

POLITICS.  —  NOMINATED  FOB  GOVERNOR.  —  AS- 
SAULT ON  MR.  SUMNER:  HIS  RECEPTION. — 
UNION  PARTY.  —  AGAIN  NOMINATED. —  ROU- 
TINE. TREASURER  OF  HARVARD  COLLEGE.  — 
AGASSIZ  MUSEUM. —  JOURNEY  IN  THE  SOUTH.  — 
EVE  OF  THE  WAR 139 

CHAPTER  X. 

1861-1862. 

CRITTENDEN  COMMITTEE.  —  ZOUAVE  DRILL.  — 
FIRST  CALL  FOR  TROOPS.  —  OFFER  OF  SER- 
VICE. —  BORDER  STATES. —  CONFEDERATE  PRIS- 
ONERS. —  WAR  DAYS 166 

CHAPTER  XL 

1862-1865. 

SECOND  MASSACHUSETTS  CAVALRY.—  RECRUITING. — 
NEGRO  TROOPS.  —  SYMPATHY.  — HEAVY  FIGHT- 
ING.— COLONEL  LOWELL'S  DEATH.  — CLOSE  OF 
THE  WAR. —  RETURNING  REGIMENTS  .  .  .  183 

CHAPTER  XII. 

INCREASING  YEARS.  —  DAILY  EXERCISE.  —  HORSE- 
BACK. — TOWN  INTERESTS. —  PUBLIC  SPIRIT.  — 
DEVELOPMENT  OF  LONGWOOD.  —  WABAN 
FARM.  —  NAHANT.  —  FAMILY  LIFE.  —  EDU- 
CATION OF  CHILDREN.  —  KINSHIP.  —  His 
BROTHER 207 


X  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER   XHL 

MEMORIAL  HALL^ — RELIGIOUS  ACTIVITY. — 
FRIENDSHIP  WITH  CLERGYMEN.  —  CHURCH 
IDEA.  —  HABITS  OP  WORSHIP.  —  NAHANT 
CHURCH  — CHURCH  AT  LONG  WOOD. — EPISCO- 
PAL THEOLOGICAL  SCHOOL.  —  LAWRENCE 
HAT.T. 230 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

1867-18C2. 

IN  EUROPE.  —  MANUFACTURING.  —  BUSINESS  HAB- 
ITS. —  LOANS  AND  CHARITIES.  —  SHADOWS  IN 
LIFE.  —  NEW  PUBLIC  INTERESTS.  —  MEMORIES 
OF  GROTON  AND  ANDOVER.  —  DRIVES  AND 
VISITS.  —  FIRST  FAMILY  BREAK 246 

CHAPTER  XV. 

1882-1886. 

PACIFIC  MILLS.  —  WORK  FOR  TEMPERANCE  AND 
UTAH.  —  A  QUIET  HOUSE.  —  To  KANSAS.  — 
CLASS  OF  '35.  —  DEATH  OF  HIS  BROTHER.  — 
OPERATION  FOB  CATARACT.  —  LAST  DAYS  .  .  269 


AMOS  A.  LAWKE1TOE. 


I. 

BOYHOOD. 

1814-1831. 

ON  the  morning  of  the  19th  of  April, 
1775,  Susanna  Parker,  who  lived  with  her 
parents  on  the  turnpike  in  Concord,  caught 
sight  of  the  British  troops  marching  out  from 
Boston,  and  running  with  her  sister  over  the 
hill  behind  the  house  watched  the  gleaming 
of  the  muskets  along  the  road.  When  the 
soldiers  came  back  that  afternoon,  pursued 
by  minute  men  and  farmers,  the  girls  again 
took  refuge  behind  the  hill,  and  on  their 
return  to  the  house  found  lying  dead  at  the 
gate  a  handsome  British  soldier  in  his  red 
coat. 

That  same  morning  Colonel  Prescott  rode 
to  the  house  of  his  neighbor,  Samuel  Law- 
rence, in  Groton,  and  cried  out,  "  Samuel, 


2  AMOS  A.   LAWRENCE. 

notify  your  men ;  the  British  are  coming." 
Mounting  the  colonel's  horse,  Corporal  Law- 
rence rode  seven  miles,  rousing  the  min- 
ute men  of  his  circuit,  and  was  back  again 
in  forty  minutes.  In  three  hours  the  com- 
pany was  ready  to  march,  and  on  the  next 
day  it  reached  Cambridge. 

At  Bunker  Hill,  Samuel  Lawrence  re- 
ceived through  his  beaver  hat  a  musket 
ball  which  cut  his  hair  from  front  to  rear, 
and  was  struck  by  a  spent  grape-shot  upon 
his  arm.  After  serving  two  years  near 
Boston  and  in  New  York,  he  returned  to 
marry  Susanna  Parker,  to  whom  he  had 
been  engaged  since  early  in  1775.  But 
during  the  ceremony  the  signal  was  given 
to  call  all  soldiers  to  their  posts,  and  within 
an  hour  he  left  his  bride  to  join  his  regi- 
ment at  Cambridge. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  Major  Samuel 
Lawrence  and  his  wife  settled  down  at  the 
Lawrence  homestead  in  Groton.  He  at- 
tended to  his  duties  as  farmer,  deacon,  jus- 
tice of  the  peace,  and  trustee  of  the  Acad- 
emy of  which  he  was  a  founder,  while  she 
cared  for  the  house  and  a  family  of  six  sons 
and  three  daughters. 

In    1807,   the    fourth    son,    Amos,    with 


BOYHOOD.  3 

twenty  dollars  in  his  pocket,  drove  in  his 
father's  chaise  to  Boston  and  entered  busi- 
ness. 

In  a  few  years  he  and  his  younger  brother 
Abbott  founded  the  house  of  A.  &  A.  Law- 
rence, which  with  a  few  other  leading  firms 
in  Boston  carried  on  her  foreign  commerce, 
developed  the  manufactures  of  Massachu- 
setts, and  gave  to  that  generation  of  Boston 
merchants  a  wide  reputation  for  integrity 
and  success. 

Amos,  who  was  for  many  years  an  inva- 
lid, gradually  surrendered  the  active  business 
to  the  younger  members  of  the  firm  and  de- 
voted himself  to  philanthropic  and  public 
interests,  while  his  sleigh,  covered  with  boys 
and  filled  with  books  and  clothing  for  the 
poor,  was  known  by  every  one  in  town. 

Abbott,  a  man  of  fine  physique  and  great 
activity,  was  the  leading  member  of  the  firm, 
an  influential  representative  in  Congress, 
and  a  successful  minister  at  the  Court  of  St. 
James. 

The  three  other  brothers,  Luther,  Wil- 
liam, and  Samuel,  rose  also  to  positions  of 
large  responsibility  in  business  and  civic  life ; 
so  that  when  a  manufacturing  town  rose  on 
the  banks  of  the  Merrimac  below  Lowell,  it 


4  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

was  given  by  vote  of  the  citizens  the  name 
of  "  Lawrence." 

In  1811  Amos  Lawrence  married  Sarah 
Richards,  the  daughter  of  Giles  Richards,  a 
man  of  great  ingenuity  and  of  little  financial 
wisdom. 

July  31,  1814,  their  second  son  was  born, 
and  given  the  name  of  his  maternal  grand- 
father, Amos  Adams,  who  during  the  Revo- 
lution was  the  minister  of  the  First  Church 
in  Roxbury.  The  mother  lived  long  enough 
to  leave  with  her  two  boys  and  daughter  the 
memory  of  a  sweet  and  lovely  character ;  and 
at  four  years  of  age  Amos  was  sent,  a  mother- 
less boy,  to  the  care  of  his  grandmother  and 
aunt  Eliza,  at  the  old  homestead  in  Groton. 

In  this  town  the  descendants  of  John  Law- 
rence of  Wisset,  county  of  Suffolk,  Eng- 
land, had  lived  for  several  generations  as 
farmers,  soldiers,  and  leading  citizens.  The 
associations  and  picturesque  surroundings  of 
the  place  entered  into  the  constitution  of  the 
growing  boy  and  gave  him  a  love  for  the 
scenery  and  farming  life  of  New  England. 

When  on  a  visit  to  the  homestead  in  his 
college  days,  he  wrote :  "  Groton  is  a  beauti- 
ful place,  but  in  particular  the  old  mansion 
farm  exceeds  almost  any  farming  scenery  I 


BOYHOOD.  5 

ever  saw,  excepting  the  valley  of  the  Con- 
necticut. The  house  is  west  of  the  village  a 
mile,  and  the  farm  extends  a  mile  farther 
west  to  the  Nashua.  The  slope  to  the  river 
is  gentle,  but  enough  to  give  a  beautiful  view 
of  the  country  for  many  miles  from  the  high 
land  by  the  house.  The  house  is  not  large, 
a  real  farmer's  house  of  the  best  sort ;  that  is, 
it  is  painted  white,  has  green  blinds,  a  front 
yard  and  a  large  old  elm  in  front,  and  a 
front  and  two  side  doors.  The  barn  is 
larger  than  the  house,  probably  the  best 
barn  in  the  country,  and  well  stocked  always. 
The  other  buildings  are  arranged  round  the 
large  yard  at  the  side  of  the  house,  and 
just  above  is  a  pretty  raised  ground  covered 
with  apple-trees.  They  make  '  lots  of  cider ' 
and  gather  good  crops.  The  cattle  always 
look  fat  and  happy,  and  all  is  quiet  and  con- 
tentment. My  old  grandmother  lives  here 
still,  and  I  hope  will  many  years  to  come,  if 
she  does  not  prefer  death  to  old  age.  My 
aunt  [Mary]  is  a  very  pious  woman,  '  fiery 
hot'  as  the  country  people  call  her,  very 
Calvinistic  in  her  faith  and  practice.  But 
besides  (and  better),  she  is  'smart,'  and 
knows  well  how  to  manage  the  homestead 
affairs.  She  finishes  a  great  part  of  her 


6  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

work  in  the  forenoon,  and  in  the  afternoon, 
knits,  sews,  reads,  and  attends  some '  inquiry,' 
Bible  class,  or  missionary  meeting.  A  great 
deal  of  her  money  does  she  give  to  the  poor 
heathen,  and  a  great  deal  to  poor  Orthodox 
students.  She  is  short  in  stature,  brisk,  and 
has  a  good  face,  but,  peace  be  with  her,  she 
reads  her  Bible  and  is  consistent  with  her 
belief." 

On  the  second  marriage  of  his  father  in 
1821,  Amos  was  brought  back  to  Boston  and 
sent  to  school  in  the  basement  of  the  First 
Church  in  Chauncy  Place,  on  the  same  site 
that  fifty  years  later  was  occupied  by  his 
counting-room  and  warehouse.  For  a  year 
or  two  he  was  taught  by  Mr.  William  Wells 
in  the  rear  of  Trinity  Church,  Summer  Street, 
and  at  thirteen  years  of  age  was  sent  to  a 
private  boarding-school  in  the  North  Parish, 
Andover,  which  in  the  fashion  of  those  days 
was  advertised  under  the  ambitious  title  of 
"  Franklin  Academy." 

The  boys  in  the  boarding-schools  of  to- 
day little  know  what  they  have  escaped  by 
being  born  in  the  present  generation.  Mas- 
ter Putnam  of  Franklin  Academy,  famil- 
iarly called  "  Old  Put "  or  "  Old  Hickory,!' 
represented  a  system  of  education  which  is 


BOYHOOD.  1 

more  interesting  in  retrospect  than  in  the 
realization. 

After  a  few  days  at  the  school,  Amos 
wrote  to  his  father  :  "  Mr.  Putnam  is  subject 
to  very  bad  headaches,  which  make  him  very 
cross  and  angry :  he  scolds  his  wife  and 
makes  her  cry,  and  makes  the  boys  walk 
Spanish  if  they  don't  keep  out  of  his  way : 
he  hit  his  son  such  a  clip  the  other  day  that 
he  was  lame  for  a  week.  I  never  saw  a  set 
of  boys  that  minded  the  master  so  well 
before.  I  find  Mr.  Putnam  is  very  un- 
steady in  his  punishments,  and  more  so,  I 
should  think,  than  a  school-master  ought  to 
be,  as  he  will  beg  a  boy's  pardon  after  using 
him  badly  when  he  finds  he  is  going  to  write 
home."  After  this,  we  are  not  surprised 
that  he  adds,  "  I  find  a  great  deal  of  diffi- 
culty in  not  knowing  the  laws  of  the  school," 
while  an  "  N.  B."  at  the  end  of  the  letter 
informs  his  parent  that  the  under  master 
"Mr.  Pierce  grows  pretty  strict  now  and 
gave  me  a  pretty  good  wrench  of  my  ear 
and  hair." 

He  soon  grows  less  respectful  in  his  refer- 
ences to  the  master,  and  speaks  of  "  old  Put 
in  old  Hickory  style,  with  heavy  tread,  low- 
ered eyebrows  and  frequent  hems,  entering 


8  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

the  school-room,"  and  incidentally  mentions 
"  having  some  trouble  with  Mr.  Hickory  on 
Saturday,  but  he  was  finally  cooled  and  be- 
haved well." 

The  trouble  did  not  end  on  Saturday,  how- 
ever, for  "  a  great  many  little  items  which 
plagued  him  and  occasioned  his  having  a 
great  many  tasks,"  and  "  eleven  hours  of 
study  a  day,"  and  especially  his  hatred  of 
Algebra  as  taught  in  Franklin  Academy, 
drove  young  Amos,  who  was,  as  his  fellow- 
pupils  testify,  a  boy  "  whose  self-respect  was 
great,"  to  seek  his  freedom  in  the  woods  of 
Andover  and  on  the  road  to  New  Hampshire. 
In  a  day  or  two  he  was  brought  back,  and 
after  an  humble  apology  to  his  father  and 
the  master  he  set  about  the  arduous  duty  of 
obeying  his  father's  request  "to  observe  a 
strict  conformity  to  the  rules  of  the  school." 

However,  Mrs.  Putnam  and  the  fat  kitchen- 
girl  tempered  the  school  with  mercy  and 
condoled  with  the  boys  in  trouble.  And  the 
resources  which  served  him  through  life,  rid- 
ing on  horseback,  skating,  the  enjoyment  of 
the  beauties  of  nature,  and  an  acute  interest 
in  people  of  all  sorts,  came  to  his  aid  in  An- 
dover. These  probably  did  as  much  towards 
the  development  of  his  character  as  the  study 


BOYHOOD.  9 

of  Euclid,  the  daily  task  of  twenty  pages  of 
the  Greek  Testament,  or  the  worship  in  the 
village  church,  where  the  singing  was  led 
by  Captain  Osgood  at  the  "  big  viol,"  and 
the  sermons  were  preached  by  "  Rev.  Bailey 
Loring,  a  just  man  and  a  Unitarian  so 
called."  Occasional  allusions  to  mugs  of 
sour  cider,  and  the  decanters  at  Jim  Ste- 
vens' tavern,  suggest  that  Master  Putnam's 
"  Tracts  on  Temperance  "  were  needed  at 
the  school ;  and  in  answer  to  a  letter  which 
he  rather  irreverently  called  a  "  Temperance 
Essay"  from  his  father,  Amos  wrote,  "To 
please  you  more  than  to  allay  any  fear  of 
mine,  I  will  consent  not  to  taste  a  drop  of 
distilled  spirit  for  two  years ;  then,  if  you 
wish,  I  will  add  four." 

The  testimony  of  his  school-mates  sketch 
him  as  an  active,  "  observing,  and  thought- 
ful boy,  always  affable,  inviting  implicit 
confidence  in  his  good  judgment  and  honesty 
of  purpose,  full  of  self-respect  and  respect 
for  others,"  while  letters  and  diary  empha- 
size a  pure-minded,  restless  lad,  with  a  keen 
interest  in  the  affairs  of  the  world,  and  with 
maturity  of  thought  as  to  the  meaning  and 
purposes  of  life.  The  boyish  resolutions 
written  before  the  sunrise  of  his  last  New 


10  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

Year's  day  at  school  in  1831,  suggest  the 
spirit  of  his  life  :  "to  adhere  to  veracity,  to 
use  as  much  as  in  me  lies  pure  and  well 
spoken  language,  to  keep  a  strict  guard 
against  vice  and  to  cherish  virtue,  to  talk 
sense  or  not  at  all." 


II. 

COLLEGE. 
1831-1835. 

IN  1831  Amos  entered  Harvard  College 
without  conditions,  donned  the  "  University 
dress  "  then  required  of  all  students,  —  "  the 
coat  of  black,  single  breasted,  with  a  rolling 
cape  square  at  the  end,  waist  reaching  to 
the  natural  waist ; "  and,  to  quote  from  a 
classmate,  he  was  soon  "  out  on  the  Delta 
kicking  football,  full  of  laughter,  and  in  a 
state  of  perpetual  motion." 

"A  man  may  be  honest,  active,  brave, 
moral,  and  religious,  and  still  no  scholar,"  is 
the  true  but  dangerous  text  with  which  the 
diary  of  his  college  life  opens. 

In  the  spring  term  of  the  Freshman  year 
there  occurred  one  of  those  little  episodes  in 
which  the  students  of  a  former  generation 
sometimes  indulged,  namely,  a  gunpowder 
plot,  followed  by  an  explosion,  "  the  refrager- 
ation  of  divers  windows  and  the  demolition 


12  AM 08  A.   LAWRENCE. 

of  much  movable  stuff,"  a  class  rebellion,  in- 
dictments before  the  grand  jury,  confession 
of  the  ringleaders,  and  a  number  of  expul- 
sions, suspensions,  and  letters  of  advice  to 
pass  a  few  months  in  some  quiet  country 
town.  Unfortunately  Amos  had  lately 
bought  some  gunpowder  for  shooting,  which 
he  kept  in  his  room.  The  plotters  thought 
that  stealing  his  powder  was  safer  and 
cheaper  than  buying  their  own ;  therefore, 
on  the  testimony  of  the  shopkeeper,  he  was 
drawn  into  the  investigation.  He  was,  how- 
ever, acquitted  of  all  guilt ;  but  the  excited 
condition  of  the  students  made  it  advisable 
for  the  more  restless  spirits  to  rusticate  for 
a  few  months. 

There  soon  followed  a  letter  from  Presi- 
dent Quincy  to  his  father,  who  was  at  that 
time  recovering  from  a  dangerous  illness. 
"  I  entirely  concur  in  your  wishes  to  keep 
your  son  from  '  every  appearance  of  evil,' 
and  under  all  circumstances  I  have  thought 
it  best  to  advise  to  take  him  away  a  short 
time,  say  until  next  commencement,  and  let 
him  study  under  some  fellow  master.  Your 
son  has  not  been  detected  in  any  connec- 
tion with  the  disorders  in  the  hall  or  in  the 
chapel.  Still,  he  is  young,  very  susceptible, 


COLLEGE.  13 

and  if  in  a  thoughtless  moment  he  should 
get  into  any  difficulty,  in  your  state  of  mind 
and  health,  it  might  be  injurious ;  perhaps 
more  than  you  can  bear.  I  think  also  the 
obligation  to  study,  which  an  instructor,  par- 
ticularly attentive  to  him,  might  impose, 
would  be  very  useful  to  his  future  habits." 

The  result  justified  President  Quincy's 
wisdom  and  knowledge  of  the  young  man's 
character.  With  Mr.  John  F.  Stearns  of 
Bedford,  a  young  Harvard  graduate,  as  his 
tutor,  Amos  lived  first  at  Bedford  and  then 
in  the  Mansion  House  on  Andover  Hill. 
Freed  for  the  first  time  from  chafing  rules, 
he  developed  such  a  sense  of  responsibility, 
and  such  diligence  in  study,  that  from  his 
own  choice  he  prolonged  his  rustication  from 
six  to  eighteen  months. 

Always  impatient  at  listless  work,  the 
school  methods  of  study  had  irritated  and 
disgusted  him,  and  the  following  extract 
from  his  diary  at  this  time  is  a  leaf  from 
his  own  experience  :  — 

"  There  is  a  method  of  study  adopted  by 
many  that  is  highly  injurious  to  mind  and 
body,  indeed  it  is  worse  than  idleness:  to  sit 
down  with  books  open,  and  the  mind  as  un- 
tutored as  the  winds,  to  get  a  lesson  ;  to  think 


14  AMOS  A.   LAWRENCE. 

of  the  lesson  one  moment,  of  the  girls  one 
more,  and  of  home  one  more ;  then  two 
more  of  the  lesson,  and  so  to  spend  a  day  in 
a  shameful  waste  of  time.  The  body  grows 
crabbed  and  crooked,  and  the  mind  grows 
empty  and  weak,  and  the  whole  man  is  de- 
stroyed by  it.  The  habit  may  be  contracted 
at  school  by  boys,  where  they  are  obliged  to 
remain  a  certain  number  of  hours  pent  up 
in  a  room,  not  allowed  to  talk  or  look  any- 
where except  on  their  books.  If  Mr.  Put- 
nam had  compelled  his  boys  to  study  five 
hours  instead  of  leaning  on  their  elbows 
eleven,  he  would  so  have  habituated  them  to 
study  that  they  would  not  have  become  such 
dunces  as  they  are  now." 

Sometimes  the  intense  moral  earnestness 
of  his  father's  letters  chafed  him,  and  his 
filial  respect  was  tinged  with  a  little  pleas- 
antry when,  on  receipt  of  an  unusually  long 
letter  of  advice,  he  answered :  "  The  morality 
and  general  observations  of  your  letters, 
disconnected  from  the  other  matters  and 
printed,  would  make  a  very  instructive  vol- 
ume. When  you  compel  us  to  shift  for 
ourselves  I  think  we  may  make  a  very  good 
beginning  by  publishing  a  few  copies  of  your 
miscellaneous  works,  and  so  benefit  our 


COLLEGE.  15 

neighbors  and  replenish  our  pockets  at  the 
same  time."  "Your  good  advice  has  the 
advantage  of  your  bills  of  exchange,  inas- 
much as  it  is  current  everywhere;  if  it 
could  only  be  cashed,  how  fortunate  we 
should  be,  and  how  soon  we  should  spoil." 

During  these  months  he  was  again  thrown 
into  the  scenery  which  he  so  much  enjoyed. 
• "  What  a  vast  space  a  man  leaves  empty 
who  does  not  cultivate  a  taste  for  natural 
beauties,"  he  then  wrote.  And  though  the 
old  horse  "  appellated  Doctor  White  "  had 
"  a  back  formed  to  shed  the  rain  or  to  cut 
the  air,"  yet  "it  was  a  pleasure  to  ride 
him." 

The  study  of  the  village  characters  and 
his  interest  in  the  town  meetings,  with  their 
lively  Orthodox  and  Liberal  discussions, 
gave  him  that  experience  in  affairs  and  that 
tact  in  meeting  men  of  all  classes  which  he 
felt  was  a  part  of  the  education  of  every 
American  boy,  and  which  served  him  well 
in  later  years. 

His  practical  sense  was  offended  by  the 
raising  of  a  new  meeting-house  in  Bedford  ; 
for  then,  as  he  wrote,  "  we  shall  have  three 
ministers  (Orthodox,  Unitarian,  ajid  Uni- 
versalist)  for  690  inhabitants,  670  of  whom 


16  AMOS  A.   LAWRENCE. 

have  only  the  necessaries  of  life  by  hard  la- 
bor. There  are  only  120  voters,  of  whom 
50  are  tipplers,  journeymen,  shoemakers, 
heathen,  etc.  They  can  hardly  support  one 
minister,  and  sixteen  would  not  convert 
them." 

Theological  discussion  was  rife,  and  a 
young  man  of  Unitarian  education,  thrown, 
into  the  thick  of  the  enemy's  ranks  at  An- 
dover,  was  naturally  set  to  thinking.  For 
in  those  days,  as  he  wrote  to  his  father, 
"  truth  in  Cambridge  becomes  a  lie  in  An- 
dover,  and  the  same  of  Andover  truth  when 
carried  to  Cambridge." 

Though  it  is  hardly  worth  the  while  to 
follow  him  through  the  arguments  by  which, 
in  a  strong  Andover  atmosphere,  he  was 
led  to  record  the  fact,  "  I  do  not  believe 
the  Unitarian  doctrine,"  yet  it  is  suggestive 
of  his  independence  and  his  dissatisfaction 
with  both  systems,  that  in  Andover  he  first 
bought  and  studied  the  Book  of  Common 
Prayer. 

Other  rusticated  students  found  their  way 
to  Andover.  "  There  is,"  he  writes,  "  one 
who  does  nothing  but  smoke  and  eat.  The 
divines  smoke  and  eat  too,  but  in  subor- 


COLLEGE.  17 

dination  to  more  important  considerations; 
a  good  argument,  for  instance,  is  more  rel- 
ished than  all  the  puddings  for  a  term." 
Still  the  solemnity  of  the  theological  stu- 
dents oppressed  him,  his  tutor's  health  had 
begun  to  fail  for  want  of  something  to  laugh 
at,  and  he  begged  his  father  "  to  send  up 
one  or  two  comic  almanacs  to  lend  to  the 
students  as  an  act  of  charity."  The  life 
there  led  him  to  consider  the  question, 
"  Which  is  the  worst  crime,  intemperance  in 
study  or  in  drinking  ?  Both  of  them  tend 
to  shorten  life  and  to  embitter  it ;  both  are 
suicides." 

An  occasional  ride  to  Groton  and  other 
towns  varied  the  monotony.  He  attended  a 
Concord  celebration,  where  "  Mr.  Hopkinson 
exerted  himself  to  the  uttermost.  His  de- 
livery was  Cambridge  precisely,  and  that  is 
almost  no  delivery  at  all."  But  the  great 
event  was  the  visit  of  President  Jackson, 
which  he  thus  described :  — 

"  I  went  to  Boston  to  see  President  Jack- 
son, who,  with  his  Cabinet,  has  been  making 
a  triumphal  tour,  as  it  were,  of  the  Northern 
States.  The  Bostonians  honored  him  as 
much  as  he  deserves,  perhaps  more.  I  saw 
the  old  gentleman  first  in  a  procession  near 


18  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

the  State  House.  His  appearance  struck 
me  instantly  with  a  kind  of  respect  for  him, 
it  is  so  remarkable.  He  alone  was  uncov- 
ered, and  displayed  a  head  higher  than  those 
about  him,  and  silvered  with  age.  His  hair 
is  remarkable  on  account  of  its  thickness, 
and  his  fashion  of  combing  it  back.  He  re- 
viewed the  troops  and  showed  himself  an 
accomplished  horseman.  From  Boston  he 
went  to  Salem,  thence  to  Lowell  through 
Andover.  I  was  one  of  the  cavalcade  here 
and  had  a  very  good  sight  of  him.  He  put 
up  at  this  house  and  ate  a  lunch  of  bread 
and  milk  in  his  chamber.  Mr.  Van  Buren, 
Vice-President,  dined  in  Mr.  Skinner's  par- 
lor, and  so  did  Major  Donelson  and  myself, 
and  some  other  of  the  illustrious.  We  es- 
corted him  out  of  town,  took  a  stage  coach 
and  followed  him  to  Lowell,  where  we  ar- 
rived just  in  time  to  see  the  famous  proces- 
sion of  factory  girls.  It  consisted  of  three 
or  four  thousand,  marching  by  fours.  This, 
if  nothing  else,  was  a  splendid  sight  for  the 
old  general." 

In  the  spring  vacation  of  1834,  following 
his  return  to  college,  Mr.  Lawrence,  with  his 
tutor,  Henry  R.  Cleveland,  and  his  classmate, 
Charles  H.  Gates,  made  a  visit  to  Wash- 
ington. 


COLLEGE.  19 

Just  before  reaching  Philadelphia  they 
experienced  for  the  first  time  the  wonderful 
sensation  of  riding  in  a  steam  carriage,  but 
the  new  invention  did  not  seem  to  have 
brought  civilization  into  the  filthy  streets  of 
the  Quaker  city,  in  which  a  great  number 
of  "  grunters  "  luxuriated.  In  Washington 
he  found  that  the  far-famed  David  Crockett 
reigned  in  the  lobby ;  that  "  Clay  pestered 
Van  Buren  and  then  took  two  or  three 
pinches  of  snuff  from  the  Vice-President's 
snuff-box ;  "  that  Van  Buren  was  "  a  great 
gallant  for  one  so  small  and  old  too." 

He  was  in  the  House  when  Mr.  Adams 
presented  a  petition  for  the  abolition  of  slav- 
ery in  the  District  of  Columbia.  "At  this," 
he  wrote,  "  every  Southern  member  took 
fire  ;  the  most  absurd  resolutions  were  in- 
troduced, denouncing  Mr.  Adams  as  an 
agitator,  an  incendiary,  and  as  offering  gross 
insult  to  the  House  and  to  the  feelings  of  the 
members  of  the  South,  in  presenting  such  a 
petition.  One  resolution  was  to  expel  Mr. 
Adams,  another  was  to  burn  his  petition, 
and  another  to  arraign  him  before  the  bar  of 
the  House."  "  If  there  ever  was  an  eloquent 
speaker  and  an  able  debater,  a  good  the- 
oretical philosopher,  it  is  he.  I  never  heard 


20  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

such  argument  expressed  so  eloquently  be- 
fore, and  never  expect  to  again.  He  covered 
his  opponents  with  ridicule,  and  excited  the 
laughter  of  the  House ;  the  effect  you  see 
in  the  vote  and  resolutions." 

Of  course  Mr.  Webster  filled  the  eye  of 
a  Massachusetts  young  man.  "  After  Mr. 
Calhoun's  second  speech,  Mr.  Webster  rose, 
and  the  effect  was  wonderful.  His  eloquence 
is  appreciated  because  he  seldom  nowadays 
makes  an  exhibition  of  it.  The  members  of 
the  other  House  were  crowded  around  the 
President's  chair,  and  the  Senators'  seats 
and  the  galleries  were  full.  But  when  Mr. 
Webster  stood  up,  all  was  as  still  as  though 
the  hall  was  empty.  He  merely  made  a 
motion  to  adjourn  till  Monday,  which  had 
been  made  before  by  Mr.  Buchanan." 

But  the  two  features  of  Washington  to 
the  college  student  were  Gadsby's  Hotel 
and  President  Jackson. 

"  Gadsby's  Hotel  is  an  immense  building 
as  large  as  a  small  town,  so  that  the  dinner- 
bell  is  in  a  belfry  on  the  top,  like  that  of 
a  church.  When  this  sounds,  the  crowds  of 
boarders  —  a  motley  mass,  collected  from 
every  State  in  the  Union,  and  Christendom, 
we  might  say  —  move  in  an  irresistible  tide 


COLLEGE.  21 

toward  the  hall,  and  seat  themselves  every 
one  in  his  chair,  while  clouds  of  black  ser- 
vants stand  behind  in  mute  array.  All  look 
about  to  see  who  is  there,  and  try  to  smell 
what  lies  hid  under  the  covers.  They  snuff 
and  rub  their  hands,  take  a  drink  of  brandy 
and  water,  which  is  always  on  the  table,  and 
wait  the  word  of  command :  the  negroes' 
eyes  twinkle  for  the  same,  and  all  of  them 
wait  impatiently  for  it,  eying  old  Gadsby 
like  eagles.  He  stands  at  the  head  of  the 
board  (an  elderly,  short,  white-headed  man), 
and  when  he  sees  his  legions  ready  and  all 
still,  he  braces  up  his  shoulders,  looks  at  the 
whole,  and  then  at  the  waiters,  opens  his 
mouth,  and  raises  his  hand,  then  says  '  Un- 
cover !  '  Then  is  the  time  to  stop  your  ears, 
for  every  blacky  leaps  at  all  the  covers 
within  his  reach,  up  they  raise  them  with  a 
stupendous  flourish,  and  the  air  seems  made 
of  silver;  but  look  out  and  not  turn  your 
head  too  much,  or  the  consequences  may  be 
fatal." 

"  Our  friend  Mr.  Franklin  Pierce  very 
kindly  offered  to  carry  us  to  see  President 
Jackson." 

"  It  was  his  business  hour,  and  we  only  ex- 
pected him  to  shake  hands  with  us,  and  per- 


22  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

mit  us  to  look  through  his  halls.  We 
looked  at  his  tobacco  pipe  and  about  the 
room  till  all  was  clear,  and  then  Mr.  Pierce 
opened  the  door  and  asked  leave  to  intro- 
duce us.  With  that  the  gentleman  arose, 
met  us  at  the  door  and  shook  hands  with 
us  very  cordially,  and  asked  us  to  sit  down, 
which  we  did  and  looked  at  him  from  head 
to  foot,  surprised  to  find  ourselves  so  sud- 
denly in  the  presence  of  the  great  cause  of 
so  much  dispute,  honest  and  dishonest,  that 
has  divided  this  whole  country.  Here  sat 
the  grand  mover  of  the  machine  that  sup- 
ports some  and  crushes  others.  He  ad- 
dressed himself  almost  wholly  to  Mr.  Pierce, 
thinking  rightly,  I  suppose,  that  we  came 
merely  to  see  him.  And,  by  the  way,  I  for- 
got to  say  that  Mr.  Pierce,  at  our  request, 
introduced  us  as  members  of  Harvard  Col- 
lege. The  old  man  recollected  the  LL.  D. 
he  received  here  last  year,  and  the  device 
took,  which  accounts,  I  suppose,  in  some 
measure  for  the  politeness  with  which  he  re- 
ceived us.  But  he  is  a  very  polite  man,  as 
everybody  who  is  introduced  to  him  finds, 
unless  they  come  on  bank  business,  or  some- 
thing else  he  hates." 

On  Mr.  Lawrence's  return  to  college  his 


COLLEGE.  28 

classmates  found  him  the  same  fun-loving, 
active,  social  man ;  but  his  character  had 
deepened  and  developed.  He  still  chafed  at 
the  routine  of  college  studies  and  kept  his 
mind  alert.  He  read  with  enthusiasm  on 
subjects  which  interested  him,  and  also  made 
such  studies  and  records  of  the  characters  of 
his  classmates  as  show  him  to  have  reached 
a  deeper  sense  of  the  responsibilities  of  life. 

The  record  of  his  own  future,  written 
early  in  his  senior  year,  shows  that  his  plans 
and  principles  were  already  formed,  for  they 
were  carried  out  in  action  even  to  the  least 
detail. 

"  My  present  design  is  to  be  a  merchant, 
not  a  plodding,  narrow-minded  one  pent  up 
in  a  city,  with  my  mind  always  in  my  count- 
ing-room, but  (if  there  be  such  a  thing  pos- 
sible) I  would  be  at  the  same  time  a  literary 
man  in  some  measure  and  a  farmer.  That 
is,  I  would  live  in  the  country  a  few  miles 
from  town  (excepting  when  devoted  to  busi- 
ness, which  would  be  the  forenoons),  and 
there  I  would  read  and  work  on  my  farm. 
My  advantages  for  becoming  rich  are  great : 
if  I  have  mercantile  tact  enough  to  carry  on 
the  immense  though  safe  machine  which  my 
father  and  uncle  have  put  in  operation,  it 


24  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

will  turn  out  gold  to  me  as  fast  as  I  could 
wish  :  and  to  be  rich  would  be  my  delight.  I 
consider  it  an  oyster-like  dulness,  and  not 
a  pious  or  enlightened  way  of  thinking,  that 
makes  some  despise  riches.  If  any  one  has 
any  love  for  his  fellow  creatures,  any  love  of 
the  worthy  respect  of  his  neighborhood,  he 
will  be  willing  and  glad  to  be  rich.  They 
say  riches  are  a  burden  that  harass  the  soul 
and  lead  into  temptation :  so  they  are  to  the 
miser  who  is  in  constant  fear  of  losing  his 
acquisitions,  and  to  the  profligate  who  re- 
ceives an  inheritance  merely  to  squander  it 
on  his  passions.  A  good  man  will  willingly 
endure  the  labor  of  taking  care  of  his  prop- 
erty for  the  sake  of  others  whom  he  can  so 
much  benefit  by  it,  but  his  thoughts  and 
fears  will  not  be  perpetually  on  the  alert 
that  he  may  not  lose  a  dollar  and  may  not 
make  all  he  can.  If  one  can  be  rich  and  yet 
for  his  private  ease  will  not  be,  he  is  almost 
as  loving  of  himself  as  he  who  heaps  up 
only  to  count  his  dollars,  and  refuses  the 
demands  of  charity." 

At  last  the  class  of  1835  u  all  joined  hands 
and  danced  around  the  Liberty  tree,  and  in 
the  afternoon  they  danced  still  more  and 


, 


COLLEGE.  25 

drank  pails  of  punch.  Then  after  a  supper 
at  Fresh  Pond,"  they  separated  ;  but  to  the 
last  day  of  his  life,  Mr.  Lawrence  sustained 
an  active  interest  in  every  classmate  and  re- 
ceived great  satisfaction  from  their  interest 
in  him. 


m. 

FIRST  TEARS  IN  BUSINESS. 

1835-1839. 

A  FEW  days  after  Class  Day  Mr.  Lawrence 
was  in  Lowell,  studying  the  mills.  Soon  he 
took  a  position  with  Almy,  Patterson  &  Co., 
where  he  could  learn  the  business  of  a  dry- 
goods  commission  merchant,  for  by  inherit- 
ance and  opportunity  that  seemed  to  be  his 
future  line  of  work. 

In  July,  1836,  being  attacked  with  vario- 
loid,  he  was  quarantined  for  several  weeks  at 
Rainsford  Island.  Soon  after  this,  he  went, 
in  company  with  two  business  friends,  on  a 
journey  through  the  West  and  South,  to  ex- 
amine credits  for  Boston  firms  just  before 
the  financial  crisis  of  1837,  and  to  make  busi- 
ness acquaintances  through  the  country. 
Travelling  by  canal  through  Pennsylvania, 
they  reached  Pittsburgh  in  the  height  of 
the  Presidential  canvass.  "  Seeing  a  crowd 
around  the  dinner  hall,"  Mr.  Lawrence  wrote, 


FIRST   YEARS  IN  BUSINESS.  27 

"I  went  in,  and  found  General  Harrison 
making  a  speech  about  the  abuses  of  govern- 
ment, his  political  course,  and  his  designs 
if  elected  to  the  presidential  chair.  After 
this  I  was  introduced  to  him.  His  right 
hand  was  disabled  by  shaking  hands  with  so 
many  people,  but  he  still  continued  it  not- 
withstanding the  pain  it  gave  him.  The 
operatives  were  there  in  their  shirtsleeves, 
unwashed  and  unshaved,  and  received  great 
attention,  and  the  boys  loitering  about  the 
door  were  sure  to  be  patted  when  the  gen- 
eral came  near  them." 

Ohio  was  then  near  the  frontier.  "  The 
population  of  Ohio  is  the  most  unmannerly  I 
ever  saw.  There  is  no  elegance,  no  good 
breeding  in  the  country  towns  we  have  been 
in ;  perhaps  we  ought  not  expect  it.  Troops 
of  travellers  and  farmers  come  up  to  the 
door  and  dismount,  take  off  their  saddle- 
bags, and  give  their  horses  to  the  hostler. 
They  take  a  glass  of  toddy  and  sit  down  in 
the  bar-room  till  their  dinner  is  ready,  then 
light  a  cigar  and  get  on  their  horses  again, 
and  so  they  jog  over  the  country." 

Down  the  Mississippi  they  met  the  bor- 
der life.  "  We  stopped  at  a  town  called  Pa- 
ducah,  and  I  went  up  to  the  shops  on  the 


28  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

bluff  to  get  a  pencil  and  see  the  town.  The 
stationer's  shop  was  well  stocked  with  pis- 
tols, bowie  knives,  and  tobacco ;  perhaps 
there  were  books  and  paper  in  the  drawers, 
but  for  lead  pencils  there  were  none  except 
of  solid  lead  covered  with  red  paper,  such 
as  measurers  of  boards  and  timber  use.  I 
bought  one,  however." 

Looking  for  a  church  on  Sunday  in  a 
small  Kentucky  town,  they  found  a  few 
scholars  in  a  Sunday-school  in  a  log-cabin. 
"  The  grog  shops  were  open,  and  drunkards 
were  lolling  about.  One  or  two  were  lying 
down  in  the  street.  There  were  two  fights 
in  the  course  of  the  day,  and  two  fellows 
were  stuck  with  knives." 

He  wrote  from  Georgia,  "  the  want  of 
thrift  among  the  farmers  is  beyond  our  com- 
prehension. This  must  arise  from  their 
ignorance  of  reading  and  writing,  and  con- 
sequently their  want  of  facility  of  informa- 
tion. What  I  had  imagined  a  Southern 
planter  is  a  very  rare  sight.  I  mean  a  well- 
educated  gentleman." 

"  We  continually  meet  the  caravans  of  the 
planters  moving  into  Alabama.  First  comes 
a  covered  cart,  drawn  by  mules  and  horses, 
from  every  corner  of  which  peep  the  round, 


FIRST  TEARS  IN  BUSINESS.  29 

woolly  heads  of  a  dozen  little  negroes,  all 
laughing  (I  believe  a  negro  child  never 
cries),  except  those  who  are  asleep.  After 
this  one  or  two  or  three  teams  with  furni- 
ture and  more  negroes,  according  to  the 
riches  of  the  'mover.'  Behind  all,  the 
family  ride  in  their  carryall  and  wagons  or 
on  horseback,  and  the  grown  negroes  hunt 
squirrels  along  the  woods  or  straggle  along 
as  their  inclination  leads  them.  Some  of 
these  processions  are  very  ragged,  but  the 
negroes  are  dressed  as  warm  as  their  mas- 
ters, and  sometimes  seem  pretty  much  on  an 
equality  with  them ;  and  deservedly  so,  for 
they  know  about  as  much." 

In  Virginia,  the  condition  was  better. 
"  The  negroes  in  the  country  appear  healthy 
and  happy  and  are  always  respectful.  A 
planter  or  any  white  person  passing  a  negro 
almost  always  nods,  bids  him  a  good  day  or 
inquires  for  his  master,  and  a  negro  touches 
his  hat  or  takes  it  off,  if  he  is  well  bred, 
when  he  meets  a  carriage." 

On  account  of  his  father's  retii-ement  from 
active  business,  Mr.  Lawrence  did  not  have 
the  opportunity  for  which  he  had  hoped,  of 
entering  the  office  of  A.  &  A.  Lawrence  & 
Co.,  and  in  time  stepping  into  the  position 


30  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

and  success  which  that  firm  had  won.  But 
thrown  back  upon  his  own  resources,  he  deter- 
mined to  hew  out  his  own  path,  and  to  suc- 
ceed or  fail  on  his  merits  as  a  business  man. 

Consequently  he  opened  his  own  counting- 
room  in  a  corner  of  the  Phillips  Building  near 
Liberty  Square,  and  for  three  years  was  a 
commission  merchant  for  broadcloths,  cassi- 
meres,  and  silks.  His  financial  success  was 
all  that  could  be  expected  in  the  dull  times 
following  the  crisis  of  1837,  but  his  first  ob- 
ject evidently  was  to  know  business  men  and 
their  methods  and  to  gain  a  good  mercan- 
tile reputation.  That  he  succeeded  in  these 
would  seem  to  be  shown  by  the  fact  that 
within  two  years  he  was  made  a  director  of 
the  Suffolk  Bank  and  a  member  of  the  cor- 
poration of  the  Provident  Institution  for 
Savings,  of  which  he  became  a  trustee  in 
1841.  Through  these  and  other  associations 
he  was  thrown  in  with  men  of  an  earlier 
generation,  which  from  a  business  view  was 
to  his  advantage,  but  in  later  years  tended 
to  make  him  feel  older  than  he  really  was. 

His  life  was  much  like  that  of  any  other 
intelligent  young  man  who  moved  in  the 
pleasant  provincial  life  of  Boston  in  the 
last  generation.  He  received  at  his  count- 


FIRST   TEARS  IN  BUSINESS.  31 

ing-room  the  first  of  that  line  of  beggars 
which  was  unbroken  for  fifty  years,  he 
rode  his  horse,  and  in  the  evenings  either 
read,  wrote  an  article  for  the  paper,  or  joined 
a  cotillon  party  at  some  hospitable  mansion, 
where  the  brass-buttoned  blue,  olive,  or  claret 
coats  of  the  gentlemen  added  a  brilliancy 
and  picturesqueness  unknown  to  the  present 
generation  of  black  dress  suits. 

With  the  other  young  men  and  women  of 
the  day  he  waxed  enthusiastic  over  the  lec- 
tures of  Ralph  Waldo  Emerson.  "  Have 
heard  an  enchanting  lecture  from  Mr.  Emer- 
son at  the  Lyceum.  It  savored  very  much 
of  Coleridge's  doctrine,  but  was  certainly  the 
most  beautiful  and  strong  composition  I  ever 
listened  to."  "  His  mind  is  of  a  poetical  cast 
•and  he  likes  metaphysics  ;  his  philosophy  is 
admirable  and  his  lectures  are  made  more 
pleasing  by  a  musical  but  manly  voice  and  a 
very  graceful  delivery."  "  Have  read  Ralph 
Waldo  Emerson's  oration  at  Cambridge  and 
delight  in  it.  Reading  his  writings  and,  still 
more,  hearing  him  speak  is  charming,  it  en- 
livens the  soul  and  elevates  it  beyond  all 
fear."  "  If  his  practice  is  as  beautiful  as  his 
thoughts,  if  the  nature  of  his  thoughts  is 
always  the  same,  he  must  live  very  happily." 


32  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

In  these  years  Mr.  Lawrence  had  his  first 
taste  of  public  service.  His  journal  records : 
"  I  am  a  fireman  ;  the  old  department  re- 
signed, and  we  better  sort  of  folks  took  their 
place.  It  was  hard  work  for  a  few  nights, 
but  we  have  slept  quietly  now  for  a  week. 
Fires  two  mornings  in  succession  at  four 
and  six  o'clock,  long  before  daylight,  down  in 
India  Street.  I  turn  out  with  my  engine." 

"  A  bad  riot  took  place  on  Broad  Street 
on  Sunday  between  the  Irish  and  the  work- 
men, —  the  Irish  beaten,  their  houses  pil- 
laged, property  destroyed,  and  some  thirty  or 
forty  carried  to  jail  by  the  Yankees.  A  mil- 
itary force  was  put  in  motion  after  two  or 
three  hours  and  the  confusion  ended.  I 
shouldered  a  musket  and  joined  my  company 
as  a  volunteer,  and  was  kept  on  guard  all 
night.  William  did  the  same.  We  ought 
to  have  a  prompt  force  to  act  on  the  instant. 
I  should  like  to  be  one  to  be  drilled  and 
armed  and  at  the  command  of  the  mayor  in 
an  instant ;  then  these  mobs  would  be  down 
before  they  should  disgrace  our  city  by  their 
violence."  Later  he  adds:  "Squad  drill. 
We  have  a  squad  of  H.  W.  Dehon,  C.  H. 
Parker,  T.  Dexter,  two  Murdocks,  Ingalls, 
H.  Lee,  Ch.  Wild,  etc.  We  meet  over  Fan- 


FIRST   YEARS  IN  BUSINESS.  33 

euil  Hall  three  times  a  week,  and  go  through 
a  drill  under  Sergeant  Williams  of  the 
United  States  Army.  My  brother  William 
got  it  up.  I  think  it  a  shame  for  a  citizen, 
a  gentleman,  not  to  know  military  move- 
ments enough  to  use  a  musket." 

At  the  same  time  his  interest  in  religion 
deepened.  On  Sunday  mornings  he  followed 
the  habits  of  his  father  and  uncles  by  attend- 
ing Brattle  Street  Church,  where  Dr.  Lo- 
throp  preached.  In  the  afternoons  his  in- 
creasing interest  in  the  Episcopal  Church  led 
him  into  St.  Paul's,  which  was  then  under 
the  ministration  of  Rev.  J.  S.  Stone,  D.  D. 
Occasionally  he  would  go  to  hear  Dr. 
Channing,  of  whom  he  says  :  "  He  is  dimin- 
utive in  the  pulpit,  but  his  eye  and  counte- 
nance are  full  of  spirit  and  determination." 
From  this  time  there  occurs  in  his  diary  the 
frequent  record  of  those  prayers  and  relig- 
ious aspirations  which  we  find  in  the  me- 
moirs of  most  religious  lives,  but  which  lose 
much  of  their  reality  and  meaning  in  cold 
type. 

"Last  night  of  the  year  1837. 
"  I  thank  my  God,  who  has  protected  and 
blessed  me  and  brought  me  to  the  close  of 


34  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

the  year  in  peace  and  health.  I  have  mis- 
spent a  great  deal  of  time  and  can  only 
make  new  resolutions  for  the  future,  on 
which  I  implore  Divine  favor.  Great  God, 
regard  me  in  kindness  and  illumine  my  mind 
with  heavenly  light  that  may  I  distinguish 
truth  from  error,  and  in  the  pursuit  of  truth 
give  me  perseverance.  Save  me  and  my 
friends  from  that  anguish  of  mind  which  ac- 
companies fear.  May  I  not  fear  any  but 
Thee. 

"  For  Christ's  sake  pardon  my  sins,  and 
may  I  always  live  so  as  to  be  willing  to  die. 

"Extend  thy  truth  to  the  ends  of  the 
world  and  cause  to  cease  violence  and  prej- 
udice, and  hasten  the  time  when  religion 
shall  possess  all  minds.  Grant  my  prayer 
for  Christ's  sake." 

In  1832,  Mr.  Jeremiah  Mason,  who  once 
divided  the  leadership  of  the  Portsmouth 
bar  with  Daniel  Webster,  had  been  induced 
by  his  brother-in-law,  Mr.  Amos  Lawrence, 
to  remove  to  Boston  and  become  his  near 
neighbor.  In  1838  the  marriage  of  their 
children,  Susan  Lawrence  to  the  Rev.  Charles 
Mason,  Rector  of  St.  Peter's  Church,  Salem, 
bound  the  two  families  by  a  closer  tie,  which 


FIRST   TEARS  IN  BUSINESS.  35 

was  strengthened  a  few  years  later  by  the 
business  partnership  of  the  two  sons,  Robert 
M.  Mason  and  Mr.  Lawrence. 

In  December,  1838,  occurred  also  the  mar- 
riage of  Mr.  Lawrence's  only  brother,  Wil- 
liam, to  Susan  Dana,  who,  as  Amos  wrote, 
"  by  her  simple  manners,  her  good  sense,  and 
her  personal  beauty  has  won  the  hearts  of 
all  who  have  seen  her." 

Through  1839  the  business  of  the  country 
was  very  unsettled,  and  the  United  States 
Bank  suspended  specie  payment.  So  Mr. 
Lawrence  decided  to  take  this  opportunity 
to  close  up  his  business  and  to  go  to  Europe. 
In  company  with  his  brother-in-law,  Charles 
Mason,  he  sailed  on  November  16,  in  the 
"  Great  Western." 


IV. 

EUEOPE. 

1839-1840. 

THOSE  long,  descriptive  letters  which  our 
fathers  wrote  from  Europe,  and  which  were 
read  in  the  family  circle  and  passed  on  to 
the  neighbors,  have  lost  their  value  as  com- 
pletely as  the  rejected  newspaper  articles  of 
the  same  period.  Nevertheless,  there  was 
often  a  personal  element  in  them  which  shed 
light  on  the  tastes  and  interests  of  the  wri- 
ters. Passing  through  England,  Mr.  Law- 
rence experienced  that  "  feeling  of  home  " 
which  a  common  blood  and  language  create 
in  every  intelligent  American. 

His  method  in  sight-seeing  and  his  prac- 
tical sense  are  suggested  in  the  letters  to  his 
father  from  Rome  :  — 

ROME,  April  16,  1840. 

DEAR  FATHER,  —  ...  In  order  to  have 
a  correct  idea  of  Rome  one  must  refer  more 
to  books  than  is  necessary  in  any  other  city ; 


EUROPE.  37 

on  this  account  I  have  spent  till  twelve 
o'clock  every  day  except  during  the  Carnival 
in  reading,  and  from  that  till  five  o'clock  in 
visiting  everything  to  which  I  could  obtain 
admission. 

.  .  .  There  are  forty  or  more  Americans 
here,  whom  I  have  not  seen  often,  thinking 
it  rather  a  waste  of  time  to  spend  it  in  visit- 
ing those  one  sees  at  home.  There  are  sev- 
eral promising  young  artists  among  them 
studying  their  profession,  particularly  a 
young  man  named  Crawford,  who  has  sud- 
denly executed  a  piece  of  sculpture  of  the 
highest  order  almost  without  tools  to  work 
with.  His  poverty  induced  him  to  make  too 
great  exertions,  and  when  he  had  completed 
his  work  he  was  seized  with  a  fever,  which 
attacked  his  brain,  and  came  near  ending  his 
life.  He  is  now  almost  recovered,  and  very 
much  encouraged  by  the  praises  which  are 
bestowed  on  his  work.  Mr.  Greene  has 
made  a  subscription  paper  for  money  to  en- 
able him  to  execute  it  in  marble,  and  in  the 
mean  time  he  has  received  several  orders  for 
busts,  which  he  executes  with  great  quick- 
ness, and  transfers  to  marble  with  great 
beauty.  He  will  soon  have  the  means  of 
accomplishing  his  main  work,  and  as  soon 


38  AMOS  A.   LAWRENCE. 

as  it  is  finished  it  will  be  sent  to  the  United 
States  for  exhibition  and  sale.  The  young 
man  is  very  pleasing  in  his  appearance,  and 
is  a  hard  student,  so  that  with  his  genius  for 
this  art  he  will  sooner  or  later  succeed.  .  .  . 
The  cause  of  the  poverty  of  this  country  is 
not  that  the  land  is  not  cultivated,  nor  that 
the  people  are  unwilling  to  work  ;  but  that, 
having  become  too  numerous  for  the  land, 
a  great  proportion  must  be  idle,  at  least  a 
part  of  the  time.  If  mechanic  labor  were 
encouraged,  the  difficulty  would  be  obviated, 
as  they  could  then  export  the  product  and 
receive  an  equivalent,  and  like  England 
grow  rich:  but  the  policy  of  the  govern- 
ment of  the  Church  is  so  far  very  bad,  and 
the  encouragement  to  laboring  men  to  leave 
their  homes  and  travel  hundreds  of  miles  as 
pilgrims,  not  only  not  doing  themselves  any 
good,  but  using  the  money  of  the  people 
through  whose  territory  they  pass,  the  estab- 
lishment of  so  many  holy  days  when  work 
is  discouraged,  the  monopolies  which  cramp 
trade,  all  lead  one  to  believe  that  the  design 
is  to  make  the  people  dependent  by  not  giv- 
ing them  means  of  getting  rich. 

His   account  of  the  drive  from  Rome  to 


EUROPE.  89 

Florence   gives   a   graphic    sketch   of  Italy 
fifty  years  ago :  — 

FLORENCE,  May  4,  1840. 

...  I  never  had  a  more  agreeable  jour- 
ney than  from  Rome,  arriving  here  a  week 
ago,  and  never  was  in  a  more  delightful  city 
than  this. 

"  The  first  day  we  rode  through  a  fertile 
country  of  hill  and  valley,  stopping  at  Monte 
Rosa  and  Nepi,  all  old  fortified  towns,  to 
Castellana,  where  we  spent  the  first  night. 
At  sunset  I  strolled  out  to  see  the  environs, 
and  the  people  after  they  had  finished  their 
day's  labor.  It  was  a  fine  sight  from  the  de- 
cayed walls  to  look  down  five  hundred  feet 
to  the  river  winding  through  a  deep  ravine, 
on  the  other  side  of  which  green  meadows, 
covered  with  luxuriant  vegetation,  stretch  out 
many  miles  to  the  mountains.  We  follow 
the  green  almost  to  the  tops,  which  are  cov- 
ered with  snow.  The  laborers  were  return- 
ing from  the  fields  to  the  town  in  groups, 
toiling  up  the  ascent  to  it  by  narrow  wind- 
ing paths,  the  women  were  all  in  the  streets 
or  on  the  heights  waiting  for  them,  and  the 
children  were  running  and  crawling  in  every 
direction.  All  were  gay,  all  dirty  ;  one  can- 
not be  in  bad  humor  after  seeing  so  much 


40  AMOS  A.   LAWJtENCE. 

contentment  in  so  great  poverty.  A  post 
carriage  with  "four  horses  was  passing  the 
immense  stone  bridge,  and  two  guards  who, 
according  to  the  old  custom,  accompany  it, 
were  riding  up  the  hill.  The  goatherds 
were  driving  their  goats  into  the  town  to  be 
milked ;  the  bells  of  the  two  convents  were 
ringing ;  the  soldiers  of  the  little  garrison 
were  strolling  about,  smoking  their  pipes,  or 
playing  at  some  game  on  the  parapets  ;  and 
the  whole  scene  reminded  me  of  some  of  the 
descriptions  given  by  Mrs.  Radcliffe  in  her 
novels ;  probably  it  was  very  much  the  same 
two  hundred  years  ago  as  now.  I  turned 
into  the  town  again,  and  hearing  music,  I 
went  into  the  cathedral.  There  were  lights 
around  the  altar,  but  the  rest  of  the  church 
was  almost  dark,  and  one  could  not  distin- 
guish the  faces  of  those  kneeling;  a  faint 
light  was  sometimes  thrown  over  the  grim 
effigies  which  ornament  the  tombs  of  the 
crusaders  and  the  bishops  who  died  hun- 
dreds of  years  ago,  and  the  old  Gothic  and 
Saracenic  architecture  could  hardly  be 
traced.  After  listening  to  the  monotonous 
chant  of  the  priests  I  proceeded  toward  the 
"  Albergo  Reale,"  where  I  was  to  pass  the 
night.  I  had  not  gone  far  before  I  was  star- 


EUROPE.  41 

tied  by  a  loud  voice  calling  to  me,  "  for  the 
love  of  God,  to  give  help  to  a  poor  soul  in 
prison."  I  looked  up  and  saw  just  above  me 
a  heavy  grating,  through  which  au  ugly  look- 
ing fellow  had  thrust  his  head ;  he  put  his 
hand  out  at  another  opening,  and  repeated 
his  prayer  in  a  hideous  tone,  but  changed  it 
to  a  hearty  curse  when  I  turned  away  from 
him,  and  the  guard,  coming  up  with  his  mus- 
ket, stopped  his  prayers  and  curses  together 
by  a  stroke  of  his  bayonet,  which  forced  him 
to  draw  his  head  into  his  cell  again.  This  is 
a  specimen  of  what  one  meets  within  all  the 
towns:  gayety,  poverty,  devotion,  villainy, 
and  soldiery. 

Eeturning  through  England,  he  caught  a 
glimpse  of  the  men  of  that  day. 

BOSTON,  OLD  ENGLAND,  August  1,  1840. 
DEAR  FATHER,  —  One  day  I  went  upon 
the  floor  of  the  House  of  Lords,  where  I 
was  almost  among  the  debaters  :  Lord 
Brougham  was  talking  next  to  me,  the  chan- 
cellor of  the  exchequer,  etc.  The  Duke  of 
Wellington  went  fast  asleep;  he  appears 
quite  old  and  has  had  several  strokes  of 
paralysis,  so  that  the  country  will  probably 


42  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

before  long  mourn  his  loss.  But  he  is  not 
any  older  in  his  feelings  than  other  men. 
He  comes  into  the  House  dressed  in  white 
linen  pantaloons  (in  a  cold  day),  a  military 
undress  coat,  white  waistcoat  and  cravat, 
with  a  riding  whip  in  his  hand.  Like  most 
of  the  members  he  keeps  his  hat  on,  and 
sleeps  more  than  any  of  them.  I  noticed 
that  he  staggers  somewhat  in  his  walking, 
but  when  he  mounts  his  horse  he  sits  firmly 
and  looks  remarkably  well,  so  that  if  you 
did  not  know  who  he  was  you  would  turn  to 
look  at  him.  Lord  Melbourne  reminds  me 
of  Mr.  Van  Buren.  He  evidently  goes  into 
the  House,  as  they  say  in  college,  "on  tick;" 
that  is,  he  has  so  many  things  to  attend  to, 
loves  his  ease  so  well,  and  has  such  ready 
talents,  that  he  trusts  to  luck  and  to  his 
wits  to  get  through  with  the  business. 
Your  affectionate  son, 

A.  A.  L. 

The  misery  in  Ireland  appealed  to  his  ten- 
der sympathies,  while  the  temperance  cru- 
sade of  Father  Mathew  aroused  his  enthu- 
siasm. 


EUROPE.  43 

ATHLONE  ON  LAKE  REE,  September  5,  1840. 

DEAR  FATHER,  —  The  country  of  Ire- 
land is  in  many  parts  beautiful,  but  of  the 
wretchedness  and  suffering  of  the  people, 
one  who  has  not  seen  it  can  hardly  form 
an  idea.  To  say  that  they  are  all  ragged 
would  be  less  than  the  truth;  the  disease 
and  almost  nakedness  seen  in  this  cold  cli- 
mate renders  the  journey  unpleasant,  and 
prevents  all  enjoyment.  To  see  ragged  peo- 
ple is  not  so  bad,  after  one  has  been  in 
Italy,  as  the  sight  of  pale  women  and  chil- 
dren, haggard  men,  and  crippled  boys,  with- 
out any  means  of  living,  or  even  of  being 
sheltered.  This  is  so  universal,  and  the 
loathsomeness  of  disease  so  perpetually 
thrust  before  a  stranger,  that  I  believe  it 
would  be  impossible  for  a  woman,  or  any 
person  of  delicate  feelings,  to  travel  in  some 
parts  where  I  have  been.  One  is  surprised 
and  incensed  at  the  supineness  of  the  Eng- 
lish Parliament  and  people,  as  well  as  the 
Irish  nobility  and  proprietors,  in  not  feeling 
more  for  these  7,000,000  of  their  fellow- 
beings,  and  at  their  love  of  power,  which 
impels  them  to  hold  under  taxation  a  coun- 
try suffering  to  such  extremity.  To  be  a 
Radical  is  natural  enough  when  one  sees 


44  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

such  an  abuse  of  power,  and  to  hope  for 
a  revolution  or  war  which  will  overthrow 
this  system  of  government  is  not  unreason- 
able in  the  Irish.  The  police  is  seen  every- 
where, and  the  support  of  this,  with  the 
army,  which  is  distributed  through  the  coun- 
ties, the  Lord  Lieutenancy  and  his  court  in 
Dublin,  together  with  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land which  is  planted  everywhere,  is  enough 
to  drain  them  to  the  last  drop.  This  you 
know  all  about,  but  I  supposed  that  the  ac- 
counts we  get  might  have  been  exaggerated 
for  political  effect,  and  I  am  glad  to  have 
seen  exactly  the  truth,  which  cannot  be 
known  from  the  public  journals. 

But  the  most  singular  thing  is  the  tem- 
perance revolution,  and  the  wonder  of  the 
age  is  Father  Mathew.  I  have  heard  and 
seen  him  very  satisfactorily,  and  think  with 
his  audiences  that  it  was  the  greatest 
spectacle  I  ever  witnessed.  To-day  I  sat 
very  near  him  by  means  of  Father  O'Reilly, 
and  not  only  saw  the  whole,  but  took  notes 
of  all  his  sermon,  which  was  excellent.  He 
is  a  good  looking  man  about  forty -five,  florid 
face,  curly  black  hair,  and  a  Roman  nose, 
with  a  good-humored  expression.  He  was 
rather  late,  owing  to  the  pressure  of  the 


EUROPE.  45 

people,  but  when  he  stepped  upon  the  plat- 
form, every  voice  was  hushed  and  all  eyes 
fixed  upon  him.  If  he  had  been  an  angel 
from  heaven  he  would  not  have  commanded 
more  attention.  I  never  saw  anything  like 
it  before.  The  band  of  music  played  a 
hymn,  during  which  he  stood  leaning  on  the 
altar,  looking  over  the  immense  concourse, 
without  seeming  to  feel  any  awkwardness 
or  any  desire  to  make  a  display.  His  dress 
was  a  white  robe  with  gold  around  the  neck 
and  on  the  streamers  in  front,  and  his  whole 
appearance  was  elegant  and  pleasing.  Some 
poor  cripples,  who  had  been  laid  inside  the 
railing,  were  kneeling  as  well  as  they  could, 
and  mattering  their  prayers  to  him,  of  which 
he  took  no  notice.  After  the  hymn  he  stood 
out  more  in  front,  and  delivered  his  text  and 
sermon,  without  book  or  notes.  This  was 
sensible  and  suited  to  the  audience,  who 
showed  their  approbation  by  frequent  re- 
sponses and  prayers  at  the  end  of  the  sen- 
tences. This  lasted  half  an  hour,  during 
which  time  I  do  not  think  there  was  a  dry 
eye  in  the  whole  assembly,  and  many  were 
sobbing  aloud,  I  could  not  tell  why,  except 
for  the  excitement.  He  then  retired,  and 
the  meeting  adjourned  to  a  large  open  place, 


46  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

called  the  Battery,  on  the  outskirts  of  the 
town.  Here  on  the  rising  ground  he  ad- 
dressed them  more  particularly  on  the  sub- 
ject of  temperance,  and  administered  the 
pledge ;  the  rush  to  take  this"  was  almost 
fearful,  so  that  the  one  or  two  hundred  cit- 
izen constables  were  obliged  to  lay  about 
them  with  their  poles,  to  prevent  being  over- 
thrown, and  some  were  seriously  injured. 
Father  O'Reilly  and  some  others  near  him 
constantly  shed  tears  at  this  sight,  which 
was  extraordinary  indeed.  For  a  long  dis- 
tance around,  the  hills  were  covered  with 
people,  dressed  in  their  best  clothes  (which 
are  not  very  good).  The  women  with  their 
white  caps  and  bright  red  cloaks  gave  a  gay 
appearance  to  the  whole.  But  the  most 
striking  feature  in  the  scene  was  the  sick ; 
these  were  brought  on  carts  and  in  litters, 
and  were  laid  about  everywhere  upon  the 
grass  ;  their  friends  were  lifting  some  up 
on  their  shoulders,  that  the  sight  of  the 
Father  might  cure  them ;  some  were  too 
weak  to  hold  up  their  heads,  and  made  a 
ghastly  appearance  as  they  were  raised  up 
to  the  light ;  some  seemed  in  the  last  stage, 
and  required  all  the  attention  of  their  rela- 
tions. It  was  a  touching  scene  to  see  the 


EUROPE.  47 

eager  anxiety  of  the  mothers  and  sisters, 
and  to  hear  their  prayers  for  their  sons, 
husbands,  and  fathers.  One  was  carried 
back  to  the  times  of  the  Apostles,  and  could 
hardly  realize  that  he  was  not  listening  to 
some  inspired  person.  After  seeing  the  ad- 
ministering of  the  pledge  (which  is  kept 
much  more  sacredly  than  in  the  United 
States),  I  went  around  to  hear  the  conversa- 
tion of  the  people,  and  to  ascertain  if  possi- 
ble how  they  were  affected.  I  found  they 
were  talking  of  the  death  of  a  man  in  Dub- 
lin, who  had  broken  the  pledge,  and  run  mad 
(which  was  correct),  the  discourse,  and  the 
cures.  "  It  is  indeed  wonderful,"  said  a 
country  proprietor  named  O'Ferren,  with 
'whom  I  became  acquainted,  "  how  these 
cures  take  place ;  the  only  encouragement 
Father  Mathew  has  ever  given  these  poor 
invalids  is  that  he  will  pray  for  them,  and 
yet  they  believe  he  can  cure  by  his  word  or 
touch,  and  I  know  of  two  boys  who  were 
made  well  in  an  hour  after  taking  hold  of 
his  robe."  Seeing  three  decent -looking  men 
talking  together,  I  asked  one  if  any  person 
had  been  cured  to-day.  "  I  know  only  one," 
said  the  man,  "but  I  presume  there  are 
more."  "Have  you  seen  the  person  ?  "  said 


48  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

I.  "  Seen  him !  and  have  n't  I  seen  him 
these  three  years  every  day,  and  never  knew 
him  walk  a  step,  and  isn't  he  there  now 
jumping  about  with  them  boys  yonder?" 
There  was  no  resisting  such  evidence  as  this, 
and  as  the  boy  disappeared  in  the  crowd 
I  had  no  opportunity  of  disbelieving.  I 
asked  a  poor  woman,  who  had  brought  her 
son  ten  miles  on  her  back,  if  she  noticed  any 
change  in  him.  "  Not  yet,"  she  said  ;  "  if 
it 's  God's  will,  he  will  be  cured ;  we  can- 
not have  all  we  ask  for.  I  hope  Father 
Mathew's  prayers  may  prevail,  or  at  least 
the  sight  of  such  an  inspired  man  may  do 
him  good."  More  than  a  million  adults 
have  taken  the  pledge,  and  it  is  very  seldom 
broken ;  many  say  there  never  has  been  but 
one  case,  —  that  of  the  man  in  Dublin  who 
died,  —  which  shows  that  there  have  been 
but  few.  Those  who  take  it  receive  a  medal, 
which  they  wear  around  their  necks,  and 
many  consider  it  a  kind  of  cfiarm.  Father 
Mathew's  likeness  is  hung  in  every  cot- 
tage. .  .  . 

Your  affectionate  son, 

A.  A.  L. 


V. 

FIRST  YEARS   AFTER  MARRIAGE. 

1841-1853. 

ON  his  return  from  Europe  Mr.  Lawrence 
immediately  took  up  the  activities  of  busi- 
ness and  society.  But  he  soon  felt  that  the 
attachments  and  sympathies  of  a  home  were 
needed  to  fill  out  his  life.  His  journal  re- 
cords more  and  more  frequent  visits  to  the 
house  of  Mr.  William  Appleton,  to  whose 
daughter,  Sarah  Elizabeth,  he  soon  became 
engaged.  On  March  31,  1842,  they  were 
married,  in  Mr.  Appleton's  house  on  Beacon 
Street,  by  the  Rev.  A.  H.  Yinton,  who  had 
just  taken  charge  of  St.  Paul's  Church. 

Soon  after,  they  moved  to  Pemberton 
Square,  which  was  their  home  until  his  love 
for  the  country  drew  Mr.  Lawrence  and  his 
family  outside  the  city  limits. 

About  a  year  after  his  marriage,  Mr. 
Lawrence  made  an  important  change  in  his 
business  relations,  and  from  that  time  he 


50  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

seems  to  have  really  felt  that  he  had  seized 
upon  his  life  work.  His  journal  gives  the 
record  of  the  formation  of  his  business  firm. 

"  May  18,  1843.  Robert  Mason  and  my- 
self have  decided  to  make  a  partnership  and 
run  for  luck  to  get  the  Cocheco  Company." 

"  May  26.  The  Directors  of  the  Cocheco 
Company  voted  to  give  their  business  to 
Mason  &  Lawrence  to-day.  I  have  spoken 
for  some  signs  and  written  to  Robert  to  come 
on  here." 

"  May  29.  Signed  articles  of  copartner- 
ship with  Robert  Mason.  I  deem  this  a 
highly  important  step  in  my  career,  and  I 
pray  that  I  may  be  true  to  the  new  duties  I 
have  undertaken,  and  may  not  allow  indo- 
lence or  timidity  to  hinder  me  from  taking 
my  full  share  of  the  labor  which  will  fall 
upon  me.  I  know  that  our  success  depends 
very  much  on  our  own  efforts,  and  I  trust 
that  if  it  should  come,  I  may  not  forget  my 
duty  in  using  it,  not  for  my  own  aggrandize- 
ment, but  for  the  advancement  of  Christ's 
kingdom  upon  earth.  I  hope  to  look  to 
God  for  strength  and  for  success ;  on  Him  I 
will  lean." 

Like  every  good  business  man,  Mr.  Law- 
rence believed  strongly  in  system ;  the  whole 


FIRST  TEARS  AFTER  MARRIAGE.        51 

concern,  even  to  its  smallest  details,  should 
run  like  a  machine  ;  but  he  also  believed  in 
placing  trustworthy  men  who  were  in  sympa- 
thy with  his  methods,  in  the  responsible  po- 
sitions. Having  found  his  men,  he  gave 
them  liberal  salaries  and  large  freedom  of 
action.  He  was  thus  able  to  reduce  the 
length  of  his  business  hours ;  and  his  judg- 
ment of  ability  and  character  was  such  that 
he  soon  drew  about  him  men  who  remained 
for  many  years.  After  three  years  of  active 
partnership,  Mr.  Mason  was  obliged  by  his 
wife's  health  to  pass  most  of  his  time  in  Eu- 
rope, so  that  upon  Mr.  Lawrence  fell  the 
management  of  the  firm's  business.  Mr. 
H.  B.  Mather,  who  was  taken  into  partner- 
ship a  few  years  later,  took  full  charge  of 
the  accounting  department,  and  was,  until 
his  death  in  1884,  a  faithful  assistant.  Mr. 
J.  D.  W.  Joy  was  also  a  partner  for  four- 
teen years,  retiring  in  1866. 

The  Cocheco  Company,  of  which  Mason  & 
Lawrence  were  the  selling  agents,  was  a  cor- 
poration for  the  manufacture  and  printing 
of  cotton  cloths,  and  at  that  time  was  losing 
money  heavily  ;  very  soon  after  the  change 
of  management,  Mr.  Lawrence  was  able  to 
report  that  "  the  company  had  made  six  per 


52  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

cent,  on  the  capital  stock  in  the  past  six 
months."  Soon  the  success  was  such  that 
the  firm  organized  the  purchase  of  the  Sal- 
mon Falls  Company,  and,  increasing  the 
stock  to  $300,000,  rebuilt  the  mill. 

The  selling  agency  of  these  two  mills  Mr. 
Lawrence  held  for  over  forty  years,  during 
which  the  works  of  both  corporations  trebled. 
During  most  of  that  time  he  was  director 
in  both  corporations,  and  for  some  years  was 
treasurer  of  the  Salmon  Falls  and  president 
of  the  Cocheco. 

With  the  first  directions  to  the  agent 
at  Salmon  Falls  went  this  letter  from  Mr. 
Lawrence,  which  suggests  his  interest  in  the 
welfare  of  the  mill-hands :  — 

"  The  accompanying  pamphlet  represents 
the  growing  evils  which  attend  the  increase 
of  a  manufacturing  town  so  clearly,  that  it 
reminds  one  of  the  importance  of  beginning 
right  in  Salmon  Falls.  I  hope  you  will  keep 
your  attention  directed  to  this  point ;  and 
if  any  measures  are  required  to  prevent 
their  occurrence,  beyond  what  have  already 
been  taken,  please  to  suggest  them.  In  re- 
gard to  religious  instruction,  it  seems  to  me 
that  if  our  church  does  not  produce  the  de- 
sired interest,  either  from  want  of  talent  in 


FIRST    TEARS  AFTER  MARRIAGE.         53 

the  preacher  or  from  prejudice  against  the 
forms,  there  must  be  some  kind  of  preaching, 
and  some  form  adopted,  which  will ;  "  and 
later,  he  records,  "  Went  to  see  the  Bishop 
this  week  about  sending  a  Roman  Catholic 
clergyman  down  to  Salmon  Falls  to  look 
after  the  spiritual  interests  of  the  girls,  of 
whom  one  third  are  Irish." 

Mr.  Lawrence's  resolution  in  college  not  to 
be  a  plodding,  narrow-minded  business  man 
was  a  principle  for  life.  Charitable  and 
public  interests  had  their  immediate  claim 
upon  his  attention,  and  before  he  was  able  to 
respond  largely  with  money  he  gave  his  time. 

For  six  years  he  was  a  trustee  of  the 
Massachusetts  General  Hospital,  and  took 
great  interest  in  his  regular  visits  to  the 
Hospital  and  McLean  Asylum. 

His  work  for  the  colonization  of  free 
blacks  in  Liberia  brought  frequent  applica- 
tions to  his  office.  "  A  good-looking  black 
preacher,"  he  records  in  his  journal,  "  came 
to  get  some  money  to  free  his  family  of  eleven 
and  take  them  to  Liberia.  He  required 
$6,000.  He  had  just  heard  of  the  death  of 
his  youngest  daughter  and  his  heart  was  ten- 
der. I  found  a  tear  in  my  own  eye,  and  he 
took  my  hand  as  he  went  out,  saying,  'I 


64  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

think  you  are  my  friend,'  which  quite  choked 
me  up.  Such  cases  grow  more  frequent." 

"  Went  round  last  evening  with  Bishop 
Mcllvaine  of  Ohio,  begging  for  his  institu- 
tion." 

"  The  Young  Men's  Benevolent  Society 
chose  me  president  again." 

"  Forenoon,  went  to  police  court  with  Mr. 
Stone  to  prosecute  a  man  for  inhumanly 
beating  his  horses." 

"  Very  busy  all  day  with  the  subscription 
book  for  an  Episcopal  City  Mission  Chapel : 
succeeded  pretty  well." 

The  following  characteristic  letter  suggests 
the  memory  of  a  unique  and  kindly  character, 
familiar  to  every  Harvard  student  of  the 
last  generation. 

TO  PROFESSOR  SALES. 

BOSTON,  December  31,  1852. 
MY  DEAR  SIR,  —  Will  you  accept  the 
above  (check  for  $50.00)  as  a  New  Year's 
present  from  one  of  your  old  scholars,  who 
though  he  did  not  learn  much  Spanish,  could 
not  help  learning  to  love  an  instructor  so 
disinterested,  so  kind,  so  gentle,  so  playful, 
and  yet  so  venerable.  May  God  grant  you, 
my  dear  sir,  all  his  consolations  here  and 
hereafter.  With  great  regard, 

Yours  very  truly,  A.  A.  L. 


FIRST   YEARS  AFTER  MARRIAGE.         65 

A  mixed  education  in  Unitarianism  and 
Orthodoxy  is  not  usually  conducive  to  a  set- 
tled faith,  and  is  more  likely  to  lead  to  argu- 
ment than  to  piety.  Mr.  Lawrence  had 
passed  through  the  argumentative  phase,  and 
as  a  result  had  written,  "  Would  that  I 
had  a  Creed ; "  but  that  deep  and  sincere 
faith  which  was  found  in  the  Unitarianism 
as  well  as  the  Orthodoxy  of  that  day  was  Mr. 
Lawrence's  by  inheritance,  education,  and 
conviction.  His  devotional  spirit  had  sent 
him  to  the  Prayer  Book,  which  led  him  into 
closer  sympathy  with  the  Episcopal  Church. 
The  result  is  seen  in  the  record  of  his 
journal. 

"  May  29, 1842.  To-day  we  were  both  con- 
firmed at  St.  Paul's  Church  by  Bishop  Gris- 
wold.  There  were  forty-three  others  ;  among 
them  my  brother  William  and  his  wife  and 
Marianne  Appleton.  Our  pastor,  Dr.  Vin- 
ton,  has  labored  very  successfully.  God  has 
poured  out  his  Spirit  over  the  whole  country, 
and  there  seems  to  be  a  universal  revival.  I 
pray  that  we  may  not  either  of  us  ever  be 
led  astray  by  the  allurements  of  this  world 
and  forget  our  God  and  Saviour." 

His  practical  spirit  immediately  led  him 
to  take  hold  of  the  church  work. 


56  AMOS  A.   LAWRENCE. 

"  Sunday.  Went  to  Sunday-school,  St. 
Paul's :  shall  have  a  class  next  week,  of 
poor  children  if  I  can  get  them.  It  seems 
to  me  the  good  done  by  Sunday  instruction 
away  from  home  may  be  very  much  in- 
creased by  taking  the  poor.  1.  It  teaches  the 
others  that  the  poor  are  as  good  as  themselves 
and  may  attain  even  higher  moral  excel- 
lence. 2.  If  brought  together  in  such  a  way 
as  not  to  wound  the  pride  of  the  richer,  there 
will  probably  spring  up  a  sympathy  for  the 
poorer.  3.  It  will  prevent  the  jealousy  which 
springs  up  in  the  minds  of  the  poor,  or  at 
least  diminish  it.  4.  It  will  make  them  en- 
deavor to  resemble  the  rich  in  their  good 
manners  and  refinement.  5.  The  acquaint- 
ance made  at  school  will  often  be  the  cause 
of  their  advancement  in  their  trades  from 
the  interest  which  naturally  continues  for 
schoolmates,  especially  those  who  have  im- 
bibed together  religious  sentiments." 

A  few  days  after  moving  into  Pemberton 
Square  he  writes,  "  Yesterday  I  had  a  num- 
ber of  poor  boys  in  the  lower  parlor,  whom  I 
hope  to  teach  something.  They  live  about 
Hatter's  Square,  are  Catholics  and  cannot 
all  read,  and  are  pretty  dirty.  They  promised 
to  come  again  Sunday  morning,  and  I  have 


FIRST  TEARS  AFTER  MARRIAGE.        57 

purchased  a  little  bundle  of  books  for 
them." 

The  week-day  evening  lecture  at  St. 
Paul's,  as  well  as  the  two  Sunday  services, 
were  to  him  as  important  as  any  business 
engagement.  The  following  extracts  from 
his  journal  and  from  a  letter  to  his  old 
schoolmate,  William  Le  Baron,  suggest  the 
record  of  these  active  and  happy  years. 

"February  17,1850.  .  .  .  My  attention  is 
so  much  taken  up  with  business  during  the 
week  that  I  find  it  very  difficult  to  give  it  to 
the  more  important  duties  of  Sunday.  My 
mind  runs  away  from  its  devotions  to  the 
plans  of  business  and  various  engagements. 
I  pray  God  to  forgive  my  frivolity  and 
weakness,  and  help  me  to  think  more  of 
spiritual  things.  By  way  of  ascertaining 
whether  I  have  not  assumed  more  responsi- 
bility than  is  consistent  with  a  proper  regu- 
lation of  the  time  and  the  thoughts,  I  have 
enumerated  them  as  follows  :  1.  My  busi- 
ness of  commission  merchant  with  a  large 
establishment,  clerks,  etc.,  and  but  one  part- 
ner. 2.  Office  of  treasurer  of  a  large  manu- 
facturing corporation  with  a  capital  of  a 
million  of  dollars.  3.  Director  in  ten  cor- 
porations :  some  of  them  very  large,  viz. : 


58  AMOS  A.   LAWRENCE. 

Suffolk  Bank  (eleven  years)  ;  Massachu- 
setts General  Hospital  ;  Cocheco  Com- 
pany ;  American  Insurance  Office ;  Boston 
Water  Power  Corporation  ;  Amesbury  Com- 
pany ;  Middlesex  Canal ;  Massachusetts 
Bible  Society;  Massachusetts  Board  of 
Domestic  Missions;  Groton  Academy.  4. 
I  have  charge  of  all  my  father's  property ; 
also  Mrs.  Luther  Lawrence's  and  Mrs. 
Seaver's.  5.  Of  my  own  property ;  includ- 
ing lands  in  the  West,  the  building  of  a 
Seminary  and  a  town  (Appleton)  in  Wis- 
consin, which  is  a  complicated  business. 
Then  there  is  the  business  of  receiving  and 
paying  visits,  which  I  do  only  as  much  of  as 
is  necessary.  The  membership  of  various 
societies  requiring  some  attention  ;  besides 
my  daily  duty  of  giving  two  hours  of  day- 
light to  the  business  of  getting  exercise 
enough  to  keep  my  body  sound.  Some 
trusts  I  have  given  up,  but  others  come  in  to 
take  their  place.  Is  not  this  too  much  for 
one  who  would  improve  his  mind  and  his 
heart,  and  keep  himself  ready  for  a  change 
of  scene,  and  an  entrance  into  the  spiritual 
world  ?  Can  one  be  prepared  for  higher  du- 
ties when  the  mind  is  filled  continually  with 
such  thoughts  as  all  these  things  entail  ?  " 


FIRST   YEARS   AFTER  MARRIAGE.         59 
BOSTON,  October  4,  1850. 

MY  DEAR  LE  BARON,  —  ...  Nine  years 
ago  I  was  married  to  one  of  the  fairest,  and 
one  of  the  least  frail,  of  Eve's  frail  daugh- 
ters, Miss  Appleton,  who  has  borne  me  four 
children,  two  boys  and  two  girls  ;  thank  God 
all  are  living,  and  they  form,  with  their 
mother,  as  happy  a  family  as  the  world  con- 
tains. Fortune  has  never  frowned  badly, 
for  I  have  seldom  tempted  her  :  so  far  it  has 
been  pretty  much  sunshine,  at  least  for  the 
last  few  years.  Not  having  aspired  to  fame 
or  great  wealth,  I  am  not  disappointed. 
My  family  is  too  dear  to  me  to  allow  me  to 
pursue  the  first,  and  I  am  well  enough  off 
to  be  above  the  temptation  of  avarice.  In 
the  summer  I  have  lived  in  the  country,  and, 
if  my  life  is  spared,  I  hope  by  another  year 
to  make  my  home  there,  coming  to  town 
every  day.  In  politics  I  am  a  moderate 
Whig,  in  religion  an  Episcopalian,  and  a 
very  indifferent  follower  of  our  blessed 
Master,  through  whose  merits  alone  we  must 
be  saved,  if  at  all.  Your  friend, 

A.  A.  L. 

From  his  college  days  Mr.  Lawrence  had 
wished  not  to  live  "  pent  up  in  the  city," 


60  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

but  "  in  the  country  a  few  miles  from  town." 
In  his  afternoon  rides  he  was  on  the  watch 
for  a  suitable  home,  and  after  two  daughters 
and  two  sons  were  born,  he  felt  that  it  was 
time  to  carry  out  his  desire.  About  two 
miles  from  Boston,  by  way  of  the  Mill-dam, 
was  a  tract  of  about  ninety  acres  owned  by 
Mr.  Ebenezer  Francis,  which,  on  account  of 
the  one  house  then  standing  there,  was  called 
"  Cottage  Farm."  It  adjoined  a  large  tract 
owned  by  Mr.  David  Sears,  who  had  namecj. 
it  "  Longwood "  after  the  place  on  St.  Hel- 
ena where  Napoleon  died.  This  Cottage 
Farm  near  Longwood  Mr.  Lawrence  with 
his  brother  bought,  and  on  his  half  he  built 
a  stone  house  in  English  cottage  style,  which 
from  1851  until  his  death  was  his  homestead. 

The  lawn  on  the  south  and  west  was  re- 
lieved by  a  grove  of  oaks  on  the  north, 
while  on  the  east  was  the  garden,  stocked 
in  later  years  with  a  large  variety  of  fruit, 
which  in  the  autumn  mornings  was  distrib- 
uted to  friends  and  neighbors  by  Mrs.  Law- 
rence on  her  way  into  Boston. 

His  first  act  on  taking  possession  of  his 
house  was  characteristic.  "  1851,  October  5, 
Sunday.  A  week  ago  last  Wednesday  I  first 
sat  at  my  own  table  in  my  own  new  home. 


FIRST   YEARS  AFTER  MARRIAGE.         61 

My  family  not  having  moved  here  from  Mr. 
Appleton's,  I  was  alone.  My  man,  James, 
who  had  come  from  his  farm  to  live  this 
winter  with  us,  had  set  the  table:  he  had 
placed  my  chair  so  that  I  looked  out  upon 
the  beautiful  scene  at  two  windows.  As 
there  was  no  one  to  sit  down  but  myself,  I 
did  not  say  grace  aloud,  though  I  did  feel 
the  importance  of  the  change  which  I  had 
made,  and  was  thankful  for  having  been  per- 
mitted to  make  so  auspicious  a  beginning  in 
my  new  home,  probably  my  home  for  life,  I 
hope  my  children's.  If  so,  how  many  sor- 
rows and  how  many  joys  will  these  walls 
witness.  As  soon  as  James  had  left  the 
room,  I  knelt  down  at  the  window  which 
looks  out  into  the  wood  and  devoutly  thanked 
God,  and  invoked  his  blessing  on  the  house 
and  on  all  of  us.  The  next  day  (Thursday, 
September  25),  we  all  moved  in." 

A  few  months  later  (April  20),  he  wrote  to 
his  uncle,  George  Richards,  in  Paris  :  "  The 
spring  is  just  coming  here  after  a  wonderful 
winter.  Even  within  a  fortnight  we  have  had 
a  heavy  storm :  thirty-six  regular  snow-storms 
in  all,  and  good  sleighing  most  of  the  time. 
Now  we  begin  to  enjoy  the  country :  for  my 
house,  although  only  two  miles  from  Beacon 


62  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

Street,  is  as  much  in  the  country  as  though 
it  were  twenty.  William  and  myself  have 
ninety  acres,  and  though  as  to  profit  we 
hope  to  see  it  occupied,  it  is  more  agreeable 
as  a  residence  as  it  is  now  —  at  least  a  great 
part  of  the  year.  I  have  cows,  hens,  horses, 
puppies,  etc.,  besides  a  large  family  inside 
the  house,  and  we  think  nobody  lives  so 
pleasantly.  Kossuth  is  here :  he  receives  a 
kind  reception :  he  is  certainly  a  patriot, 
though  an  adventurer,  too,  and  a  smart  fel- 
low. I  think  he  has  reached  his  zenith  of 
fame." 

In  those  days  there  was  a  clear  stretch  of 
water  on  both  sides  of  the  Mill-dam  from 
Charles  Street  to  the  three  roads.  Where 
Commonwealth  Avenue  now  runs,  men  and 
boys  could  almost  always  be  seen  in  the  win- 
ter days  spearing  eels  and  catching  smelts 
through  the  ice,  or  skating  across  the  Back 
Bay  to  Roxbury  and  Brookline.  The  wind 
sweeping  down  the  Charles  River  valley 
across  this  long  stretch  of  Mill-dam  gave 
Mr.  Lawrence  many  a  rough  and  cold  ride 
which  probably  laid  up  a  store  of  neuralgia 
for  later  life. 

Though  not  a  robust  boy,  he  had  by  care 
and  regular  exercise  developed  into  a  man 


FIRST   YEARS  AFTER  MARRIAGE.         63 

of  more  than  average  strength  ;  and  he  had 
that  sensitiveness  of  nerve  and  quickness 
of  action  which  gives  success  and  therefore 
pleasure  in  athletic  sports. 

When  in  college  he  wrote,  "  I  am  in  train- 
ing to  get  strength  and  agility.  I  am  taking 
some  lessons  in  sparring  ;  nothing  can  be  of 
more  use  to  confirm  good  health  or  cure  it  if 
delicate.  I  spar  with  Gray,  and  am  pretty 
sure  of  being  his  equal  in  a  few  days,  though 
he  is  considerably  heavier.  Then  I  shall  try 
Thorndike,  who  has  gone  through  four 
courses,  and  is  larger  in  every  way  and 
more  active."  During  the  winter  of  1850 
he  records :  "  Afternoon,  went  to  Savin  Hill 
with  the  club  to  bowl :  snowing  very  fast  all 
the  afternoon.  W.  D.  Sohier,  Bartlett,  Lor- 
ing,  W.  Sohier,  lawyers ;  G.  M.  Dexter,  J. 
P.  Putnam,  and  Dr.  S.  G.  Howe." 

Skating  he  kept  up  until  nearly  the  last 
winter  of  his  life.  Though  in  these  days  of 
excessive  attention  to  athletics  the  senti- 
ments of  the  following  letter  to  the  Master 
of  Groton  Academy  seem  commonplace,  they 
were  not  so  in  1853  :  — 

BOSTON,  May  31,  1853. 

DEAR  SIR,  —  The  lack  of  manual  labor 
or  of  manly  and  athletic  exercises  is  a  source 


64  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

of  weakness  and  effeminacy  in  young  men, 
sometimes  inducing  disease  or  aggravating 
it.  The  old  English  sports,  which  gave 
courage,  activity,  and  strength  to  our  ances- 
tors in  the  northern  country  (and  which  are 
still  kept  up  there),  qualities  which  the 
hardships  of  a  New  England  life  in  the 
wilderness  sustained  for  several  generations, 
have  almost  died  out,  excepting  among  a 
few  sporting  people,  and  in  some  schools 
where  they  are  kept  up  under  the  form  of 
gymnastics.  Exercise,  merely  as  such,  be- 
comes irksome  ;  and  therefore  gymnasiums 
have  usually  been  failures.  The  excitement 
of  uncertainty  is  required  of  a  regular  game 
—  a  party  victorious  and  a  party  beaten  — 
to  draw  out  the  energy  of  body  and  mind, 
to  develop  the  powers  of  all  the  limbs  and 
muscles  and  quicken  the  senses.  This  gives 
hardness,  and  strength,  and  elasticity  of 
body  (which  has  its  effect  upon  the  mind 
and  heart)  and  which  few  persons  ever  at- 
tain, except  during  their  boyhood  and  youth. 
A  good  plan  for  encouraging  some  of  the 
most  common  exercises,  such  as  cricket, 
quoits,  single-stick,  would  be  to  offer  a  hand- 
some medal  for  each,  to  be  awarded  once  in 
a  year  to  him  who  excels ;  the  award  to  be 


FIRST   TEARS  AFTER  MARRIAGE.         65 

made  by  a  jury  of  his  peers,  to  be  chosen  by 
the  students  at  large,  each  jury  containing 
only  those  who  are  not  competitors. 

These   medals,  say  three,  of  silver  worth 
twenty  dollars  each,  I  propose  to  furnish. 
Yours  truly,  A.  A.  L. 

He  also  had  the  happy  faculty  of  catching 
a  moment's  nap  at  any  time  and  under  any 
circumstances,  having  such  control  of  him- 
self that  he  would  wake  up  at  a  given  mo- 
ment ;  in  fact,  during  his  entrance  examina- 
tion to  Harvard  College  he  fell  asleep,  but 
hearing  the  professor  say  "  sufficient "  to 
the  student  next  him,  he  awoke  bright  and 
ready.  After  coming  home  tired  from  busi- 
ness, three  minutes  on  a  sofa  was  enough  to 
rest  mind  and  body  and  give  enjoyment  to 
the  afternoon  ride.  "  Generally,  when  no 
particular  occupation  offers  I  sleep  easily 
in  the  daytime,  though  not  so  well  at  night ; 
frequently  I  lie  awake  several  hours  in  the 
night  after  two  o'clock.  This  gives  time  for 
reflection  which  is  very  useful  to  me,  and  no 
one  requires  it  more.  These  wakeful  sea- 
sons may  with  God's  help  be  the  means  of 
keeping  religion  from  dying  out  in  my  heart. 
Never  during  the  day  does  religion  assume 


66  AM08  A.   LAWRENCE. 

such  importance  as  when  the  world  is  still 
and  shut  out  from  view ;  then  we  weigh  the 
importance  of  temporal  and  eternal  things 
more  accurately.  I  pray  God  that  the  time 
may  never  come  to  me  when  these  halting 
places  may  not  occur,  affording  me  an  oppor- 
tunity of  looking  backward  on  the  past  and 
forward  to  what  is  to  come." 

In  1847  Mr.  Lawrence  bought  a  cottage 
at  Lynn  just  at  the  head  of  Long  Beach, 
where  its  graceful  sweep  towards  Nahant  is 
most  marked.  And  here  he  passed  many 
summers,  reserving  a  few  days  in  the  au- 
tumn when  he  with  his  family  went  to  renew 
old  associations  at  the  homestead  in  Groton. 

In  1844  his  only  sister,  Mrs.  Charles 
Mason,  died,  and  in  1845  his  half-brother 
Robert,  a  young  man  of  lovely  character, 
was  taken. 

The  early  death  of  his  mother  had  bound 
Mr.  Lawrence  to  his  father  in  close  affection. 
Then  their  common  interests  in  business  and 
philanthropy  had  caused  an  association  even 
more  intimate.  When  at  Bedford  he  wrote : 
"  My  father  has  not  written  me  for  nearly 
two  weeks,  so  that  I  am  afraid  he  is  sick. 
What  would  become  of  me  if  I  should  lose 
him !  So  good  a  father,  so  affectionate  and 
watchful  of  my  morals." 


FIRST   YEARS  AFTER  MARRIAGE.  67 

With  evident  gratification  he  records  in 
1841 :  "  Father  was  much  pleased  with  the 
leading  article  in  the  '  Atlas  '  yesterday,  and 
more  so  when  I  told  him  it  was  mine.  It 
was  headed  '  The  Scarcity  of  Money.' ': 

The  death  of  his  father  was,  therefore,  the 
great  break  in  his  life. 

"January  1,  1853.  The  death  of  my  dear 
father.  I  can  hardly  realize  as  I  write,  that 
the  time  has  come  for  making  this  record.  It 
reminds  me  of  many  things,  but  at  this  mo- 
ment more  particularly  of  a  similar  record 
which  my  sons  must  ere  long  make,  —  if  the 
life  of  either  of  them  should  be  spared  a  few 
years,  —  of  my  own  decease.  After  many 
months  of  improved  health,  of  constant  cheer- 
fulness, and  of  religious  and  benevolent  em- 
ployment ;  after  receiving  a  long  visit  under 
his  own  roof  from  his  friends  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Pierce,  President  Hopkins,  and  others,  and  in 
the  few  days  before  his  last  having  amended 
his  will,  closed  the  affairs  of  his  partner- 
ship of  thirty -nine  years'  standing,  paid  his 
almost  daily  visits  to  our  family  here  at 
Longwood,  and  to  my  brother's,  caressed 
his  grandchildren  and  kindly  greeted  many 
friends,  he  retired  to  rest  on  the  night  of 
December  30th  in  apparently  good  health. 


68  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

Soon  after  midnight  he  groaned  and  awak- 
ened niy  mother ;  but  in  vain  she  applied 
the  common  restoratives.  The  life  was 
gone ;  the  soul  had  gone  to  God  who  gave  it. 
Dr.  Warren  and  my  brother  William  were 
called.  Early  in  the  morning  William  sent 
out  word  to  me.  How  many  times  before  I 
had  expected  such  a  sad  message,  but  not 
now !  O  God,  our  Father,  grant  that  we 
may  die  as  well  prepared  ;  that  our  lives  may 
be  as  useful ;  and,  if  it  please  Thee,  may  our 
death  be  as  free  from  pain  as  his." 

For  several  years  an  enterprise  in  Wis- 
consin absorbed  much  of  Mr.  Lawrence's 
time  and  interest.  In  the  year  1852  the 
romantic  story  of  "  the  lost  Dauphin "  was 
exciting  much  interest  in  this  country,  and 
the  question  was  everywhere  under  discus- 
sion, whether  the  son  of  Marie  Antoinette, 
the  Dauphin  of  France,  who  was  said  to 
have  been  spirited  away  at  the  time  of  his 
mother's  death,  was  not  now  the  Rev.  Elea- 
zer  Williams,  missionary  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  among  the  Oneida  Indi- 
ans at  their  reservation  near  Green  Bay  in 
Wisconsin. 

At  that  time  the  claims  of  Mr.  Williams, 
the  story  of  his  escape  and  life  among  the 


FIRST   YEARS  AFTER  MARRIAGE.         69 

Indians,  and,  more  than  all,  his  Bourbon 
features  and  noble  presence,  appealed  to  the 
imagination  of  many. 

It  was  Mr.  Lawrence's  fortune  to  see  the 
more  prosaic  side  of  Mr.  Williams's  char- 
acter. For  the  pretender  to  the  throne  of 
France  had  one  feature  in  common  with 
some  of  his  royal  cousins :  he  was  in  a 
chronic  impecunious  condition. 

The  pressure  of  circumstances  had  brought 
him  to  Boston  as  early  as  1845  to  raise 
money  on  five  thousand  acres  of  land  on 
which  he  lived  in  Wisconsin.  Rev.  Dr. 
Lothrop,  whose  father  was  also  a  mission- 
ary among  the  Indians,  interested  Mr.  Amos 
Lawrence  in  the  matter,  but  on  account  of 
his  health  the  burden  of  lending  the  money 
was  taken  by  his  son.  The  result  was  that, 
as  the  fortune  of  the  lost  Dauphin  waned, 
Mr.  Lawrence  was  drawn  more  and  more 
into  the  investment,  until  he  found  himself 
the  unwilling  possessor  of  over  five  thousand 
acres  of  land  in  the  Fox  River  Valley,  Wis- 
consin. 

Financially,  the  investment  resulted  as 
such  forced  purchases  usually  do.  The 
agents  turned  out  careless  or  dishonest,  and 
the  settlers  took  advantage  of  a  distant 


70  AMOS  A.   LAWRENCE. 

owner,  until,  as  Mr.  Lawrence  wrote,  "  claims 
Lave  been  laid  upon  every  piece  of  land 
which  I  own  in  Wisconsin,  which  has  risen 
in  value,  while  those  which  have  not  risen  in 
value  remain  unmolested." 

But  the  incident  has  an  interest  as  show- 
ing that  with  the  ownership  of  property  came 
also  a  sense  of  responsibility  for  the  welfare 
of  those  who  lived  upon  and  near  it.  For 
as  soon  as  the  five  thousand  acres  fell  into 
his  hands  he  wrote  to  his  agent :  "  I  have 
been  thinking  more  of  the  establishment  of 
an  institution  of  learning  or  college  on  the 
Williams  land,  and  there  seems  to  be  a  good 
opportunity,  not  only  for  improving  the  tone 
of  morals  and  the  standard  of  education  in 
that  vicinity,  but  also  of  conferring  a  lasting 
benefit  on  a  portion  of  our  countrymen  who 
most  need  it.  I  have  a  high  opinion  of  the 
adaptation  of  the  principles  of  the  Metho- 
dists to  the  people  of  the  West,  and  I  think, 
from  all  that  I  can  learn,  that  their  insti- 
tutions are  carried  on  with  more  vigor,  and 
diffuse  more  good  with  the  same  means,  than 
any  other.  It  seems  to  me  decided  by  ex- 
perience, that  all  literary  institutions  must 
be  controlled  by  some  sect,  and  efforts  to  pre- 
vent this  have  often  blasted  their  usefulness. 


FIRST   YEARS  AFTER  MARRIAGE.          71 

I  should  desire  most  of  all  to  see  a  Protest- 
ant Episcopal  institution  ;  but  that  is  out  of 
the  question,  as  our  form  of  worship  is  only 
adopted  slowly,  and  never  will  be  popular 
in  this  country.  I  think  the  old-fashioned 
name  '  college  '  or  '  school '  is  as  good  as 
any  ;  '  university  '  would  hardly  do  for  such 
a  young  child." 

Later  he  wrote :  "  The  school  is  to  be 
under  the  control  of  the  Methodist  denomi- 
nation, though  it  is  specified  that  "  a  large 
minority  of  the  trustees  shall  be  from  other 
denominations.  I  trust  it  will  be  conducted 
so  as  to  do  the  most  good,  to  diffuse  the 
greatest  amount  of  learning  and  religion, 
without  reference  to  propagating  the  tenets 
of  any  sect." 

Soon  after,  Mr.  Lawrence  yielded  to  the 
urgent  request  of  those  citizens  who  were  in- 
terested in  the  establishment  of  a  college,  to 
change  the  location  from  the  Williams  tract 
to  the  "  Grand  Chute  "  on  the  Fox  Eiver, 
which  was  considered  by  them  to  be  a  better 
position.  Here  a  new  town  was  immediately 
incorporated  and  named  "Appleton,"  after 
Mr.  Samuel  Appleton  of  Boston,  and  in  it 
the  college  was  established.  Mr.  Lawrence's 
suggestion  of  the  modest  title  "  school "  or 


72  AMOS  A.  LA  WHENCE. 

"  college "  was  not  in  accordance  with  the 
popular  taste  for  great  names,  and  as  he  had 
initiated  the  movement  and  had  given  more 
than  twenty  thousand  dollars  towards  its 
foundation,  the  charter  was  obtained  under 
the  title  "  Lawrence  University." 

For  a  few  years  the  institution,  after  the 
early  example  and  charter  of  Harvard,  edu- 
cated some  of  the  "  Indian  youth,"  but  its 
real  work  has  been  in  the  line  of  Mr.  Law- 
rence's first  suggestion,  the  diffusion  of  learn- 
ing and  religion  among  the  people  of  that 
vicinity  and  the  neighboring  States.  Under 
the  successful  presidency  of  his  friend,  Rev. 
Dr.  Edward  Cooke,  the  university  reached  a 
position  of  influence  which  it  has  sustained ; 
and  one  of  the  last  days  of  his  life  was  passed 
in  consultation  with  Dr.  Cooke  and  its  pres- 
ent president  as  to  means  for  increasing  its 
work. 


VI. 

KANSAS   STRUGGLE. 

1854-1856. 

IN  the  agitation  caused  by  the  passage  of 
the  Fugitive  Slave  Law  of  1850,  Mr.  Law- 
rence wrote :  "  Matters  of  state  policy  are 
comparatively  of  no  importance  now.  The 
great  question  is  the  national  one  :  Shall  we 
stand  by  the  laws  or  shall  we  nullify  them  ? 
Shall  we  uphold  the  Union,  or  shall  we 
break  it  up  ?  "  Conservative  by  inheritance 
and  education,  he  had  as  little  sympathy 
with  the  small  fraction  of  "  higher  law  "  ab- 
olitionists as  with  their  fellow  nullifiers,  the 
political  leaders  of  the  slaveholders.  He 
could  not  follow  Mr.  Webster  in  his  com- 
promises with  slavery,  but  at  the  same  time 
he  esteemed  the  Free-Soilers  a  danger  to 
the  Union  on  account  of  their  persistent 
agitation  of  the  slave  question  and  their 
sectional  spirit.  He  was  a  Whig,  bound  in 
honor  to  preserve  the  original  compact  of 


74  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

the  Union  by  which  slavery  was  recognized, 
but  bound  also  to  use  every  legitimate  means 
to  prevent  the  increase  of  slavery,  and  ani- 
mated with  the  hope  that  time  and  patience 
would  bring  about  peacefully  the  abolition 
of  the  evil.  His  business  acquaintance  with 
Southern  cotton-growers  lead  him  to  appre- 
ciate their  side  of  the  question,  and  to  rec- 
ognize the  care  that  many  of  them  took  in 
the  welfare  of  their  slaves.  "  Mr.  Carroll 
of  Carrollton,"  he  wrote,  "is  staying  in 
Boston.  He  was  offered  $300,000  for  the 
use  of  his  slaves  for  five  years  to  be  carried 
to  New  Orleans  and  declined.  They  earn 
nothing  more  than  their  support  at  home. 
Would  an  abolitionist  have  done  it  ?  "  Nev- 
ertheless, his  active  interest  in  the  colony  of 
freed  slaves  in  Liberia,  and  in  Father  Hen- 
son  and  other  blacks  who  were  purchasing 
freedom  for  themselves  and  their  families, 
kept  him  alert  to  the  evils  of  the  system. 

The  great  body  of  conservative,  loyal 
citizens  in  the  North  received  a  sharp  shock 
when,  in  1854,  Congress  passed  the  Kansas- 
Nebraska  Bill,  thus  repealing  the  Missouri 
Compromise  of  1820. 

For  twenty-five  years  North  and  South 
had  worked  on  the  common  understanding 


KANSAS  STRUGGLE.  75 

that  there  should  be  no  slave  State  north  of 
of  the  line  36°  30',  and  the  compromise  had 
gained,  in  popular  esteem,  the  dignity  of  a 
compact.  When,  then,  in  1854  Congress  cut 
Nebraska  into  halves  (calling  the  southern 
half  Kansas)  and  proclaimed  the  doctrine 
of  "  squatter  sovereignty,"  that  each  Terri- 
tory had  full  control  over  its  own  domestic 
institutions  and  could  vote  for  or  against  slav- 
ery without  regard  to  the  line  of  1820,  the 
people  of  the  North  began  to  realize  that 
they  had  an  uncompromising  party  to  deal 
with. 

It  happened  that  a  few  weeks  after  the 
passage  of  the  bill  a  slaveholder,  Colonel 
Suttle  of  Alexandria,  made  a  demand  on 
the  authorities  in  Boston  for  the  delivery  of 
a  runaway  slave  named  Burns  who  was  con- 
cealed in  the  city.  The  request  did  not 
tend  to  calm  the  irritated  spirits  of  the  Bos- 
ton people.  Three  years  before,  when  there 
was  danger  of  a  mob  on  account  of  the  de- 
livery of  a  slave,  Mr.  Lawrence  had  offered 
his  services  to  United  States  Marshal  Dev- 
ens ;  but  circumstances  had  changed  and 
feelings  were  aroused  in  1854.  Mr.  Law- 
rence wrote  to  the  mayor  that  he  "  would 
prefer  to  see  the  court  house  razed  rather 


76  AMOS  A.   LAWRENCE. 

than  that  the  fugitive  now  confined  there 
should  be  returned  to  slavery."  In  a  letter 
to  his  brother  he  said :  "  The  newspapers 
will  give  you  an  account  of  the  slave  excite- 
ment here.  I  tell  you  it  was  high  times. 
Mayor  Smith  called  out  all  the  troops  in 
this  region,  and  it  was  a  regular  muster  day 
when  the  fugitive  was  carried  off ;  all  busi- 
ness was  suspended.  The  negro  was  a  good- 
looking  fellow  and  well  dressed  ;  and  as  he 
marched  down  State  Street  in  the  procession, 
cavalry  and  artillery  with  cannon  and  United 
States  troops  were  before  and  behind  him ; 
but  he  held  his  head  up  and  marched  like  a 
man.  The  windows  and  houses  were  filled 
with  people,  though  the  streets  and  even 
the  cross  streets  had  all  been  cleared.  The 
blood  of  '76,  like  that  of  St.  Januarius, 
boiled  up,  and  it  was  nothing  but  the  clear- 
ing of  the  streets  previously  and  the  im- 
mense display  of  military  that  prevented 
the  total  destruction  of  the  United  States 
marshal  and  his  hired  assistants." 

The  passage  of  the  Kansas  -  Nebraska 
Bill  turned  the  eyes  of  the  whole  country 
upon  the  new  Territory,  Kansas,  which  was 
placed  in  a  unique  and  critical  position. 
The  scattered  settlers  in  a  great  Territory, 


KANSAS  STRUGGLE.  77 

which,  until  the  passage  of  this  bill,  had 
been  an  Indian  reservation,  were  to  have 
the  privilege  of  deciding  by  popular  vote 
whether  slavery  or  freedom  should  exist  in 
its  borders.  The  slave  and  free  powers  in 
the  nation  were  so  evenly  balanced  that 
the  decision  of  Kansas  became  of  national 
importance.  It  was  the  first  open  popular 
struggle,  which  ended  in  the  civil  war.  Im- 
mediately that  rough  body  of  men  which 
hover  around  the  borders  of  every  new 
country  pushed  in  and  drove  down  stakes. 
Drawn  largely  from  the  Southern  country, 
their  influence  was  pro-slavery.  Soon  the 
adjoining  slave  State,  Missouri,  realized  the 
necessity  of  having  her  neighbor  in  agree- 
ment with  herself,  and  across  her  borders 
swarmed  a  very  uncomfortable  looking  lot 
of  settlers,  who  had  at  least  one  firm  convic- 
tion, that  Kansas  must  go  pro-slavery.  Cer- 
tainly every  appearance  was  in  their  favor. 
In  a  few  weeks  the  people  of  the  North 
began  to  realize  that  Kansas  needed  Free 
State  settlers.  Still,  slavery  had  every  ad- 
vantage, and  the  country  was  about  to  settle 
down  to  the  fact  of  another  slave  Territory, 
when  Mr.  Eli  Thayer  of  Worcester  sug- 
gested the  idea  of  organized  emigration  for 


78  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

Kansas.  Even  before  the  passage  of  the 
Kansas-Nebraska  Bill  he  had  obtained  a 
charter  for  the  "  Massachusetts  Emigrant 
Aid  Association,"  allowing  a  capital  of  five 
million  dollars,  with  the  intention  of  con- 
trolling all  emigration  in  the  interest  of 
liberty.  His  hope  was  first  to  secure  all  the 
Territories  and  then  move  upon  the  slave 
States,  —  a  plan  more  magnificent  in  idea 
than  in  immediate  possibilities.  The  criti- 
cal situation  of  Kansas,  however,  gave  a 
practical  turn  to  the  scheme.  Here  was  an 
opportunity  for  lovers  of  freedom  to  fight 
for  their  cause  in  a  legitimate  and  thor- 
oughly American  way,  by  creating  public 
opinion  in  a  Territory  through  the  encour- 
agement of  the  settlement  of  bona  fide  citi- 
zens and  legal  voters.  Having  accepted  the 
position  as  one  of  the  three  trustees  of  the 
association  at  the  request  of  his  friend,  Mr. 
Patrick  Jackson,  Mr.  Lawrence  found  to  his 
surprise  that  he  had  undertaken  a  piece  of 
work  which  was  as  arduous  as  it  was  expen- 
sive. 

A  short  experience  proved  that  the  origi- 
nal scheme  was  too  magnificent  in  its  scope, 
and  a  new  and  more  practical  constitution 
was  drawn  up.  The  design  of  the  revised 


KANSAS  STRUGGLE.  79 

association,  called  "  The  New  England  Emi- 
grant Aid  Company,"  was  "  to  promote  the 
emigration  to  Kansas  Territory  of  persons 
opposed  to  slavery  there,  and  to  prevent,  by 
all  legal  and  constitutional  means,  its  estab- 
lishment there  as  well  as  in  the  Territory 
of  Nebraska."  Its  immediate  objects  were 
"  to  procure  for  such  emigrants  cheap  fare 
and  good  accommodations  on  the  route,  to 
advise  them,  through  agents,  on  their  arrival 
out,  in  regard  to  eligible  sites  for  settle- 
ments ;  to  secure  for  their  benefit,  by  pur- 
chase or  otherwise,  advantageous  locations 
as  landing-places,  a  general  rendezvous  for 
outfitting  purposes,  etc. ;  to  erect  receiving 
houses  for  the  temporary  convenience  for 
settlers'  families ;  to  establish  furnishing 
stores,  at  which,  on  reasonably  low  terms, 
the  necessaries  and  comforts  of  life  may  be 
purchased ;  to  erect,  or  aid  individuals  in 
erecting  and  conducting,  saw-mills,  grist- 
mills, machine-shops,  and  similar  establish- 
ments, essential  in  new  settlements ;  to  in- 
troduce the  printing  press,  and  thus  afford 
a  medium  of  communication  between  the 
settlers,  their  friends,  and  the  public." 

To  accomplish  these  and  kindred  objects, 
the  trustees  proposed  to  raise  the  sum  of 


80  AMOS  A,   LAWRENCE. 


),000,  for  which  they  looked  to  the  liber- 
ality of  all  disposed  to  aid  in  the  cause.  To 
contributors  they  issued  certificates  of  loans 
representing  twenty  dollars  each. 

Mr.  Lawrence  never  shared  the  expecta- 
tion of  some  of  his  associates,  that  the  stock 
would  pay  dividends,  or  even  that  the  stock- 
holders would  ever  see  their  money  again, 
and  he  would  have  preferred  to  depend 
upon  the  gifts  of  patriotic  citizens  without 
entering  into  such  financial  obligations.  To 
his  father's  old  friend,  Professor  Packard  of 
Bowdoin  College,  he  wrote  :  "  The  shape  in 
which  it  is  presented  is  objectionable,  that  is, 
as  a  stock  company,  and  it  imposes  on  those, 
who  manage  it  the  responsibility  of  making 
dividends  or  of  becoming  odious.  It  was 
with  great  reluctance  that  I  meddled  with  it 
at  all ;  but  it  was  just  about  dying  for  want 
of  concerted  action  and  for  want  of  money 
and  business  knowledge  on  the  part  of  those 
who  had  started  it.  Even  now  it  is  sickly 
for  want  of  funds,  but  it  has  given  an  im- 
pulse to  emigration  into  Kansas  which  can- 
not easily  be  stopped." 

To  a  clergyman  who  asked  his  advice 
about  investing  in  the  stock,  he  answered  : 
"  Keep  your  money  for  your  own  use,  rather 


KANSAS  STRUGGLE,  81 

than  do  anything  of  that  sort.  The  value 
of  land  stock  companies  is  the  most  delusive 
of  all  stocks  ;  and  persons  are  more  easily 
drawn  into  them  than  any  other.  Some  of 
my  coadjutors  in  this  enterprise  would,  if 
they  had  the  money,  invest  large  sums  in 
this  stock ;  but  fortunately  the  sanguine  ones 
who  have  property  are  all  in  debt,  and  the 
poorer  ones  must  rest  content.  I  have  taken 
considerable,  but  only  so  much  as  I  am  will- 
ing to  contribute  to  the  cause  ;  and  I  have 
already  given  a  part  of  this  away,  and  intend 
to  do  the  same  with  the  balance." 

However,  with  Mr.  John  Carter  Brown  of 
Providence  as  president,  he  accepted  the 
position  of  treasurer  and  trustee,  in  asso- 
ciation with  the  two  other  trustees,  Messrs. 
Eli  Thayer  and  J.  M.  S.  Williams. 

On  the  17th  of  July,  1854,  the  first  party 
of  twenty-nine  emigrants  were  cheered  out  of 
the  railroad  station  by  their  friends  and  the 
trustees,  and  on  the  29th  of  August  a  sec- 
ond party  of  seventy,  which  was  increased 
very  much  on  the  route,  moved  out  of  Bos- 
ton singing,  to  the  tune  of  "  Auld  Lang 
Syne,"  one  of  the  "  Lays  of  the  Emigrants  " 
written  for  the  occasion  by  Mr.  Whittier :  — 


82  AMOS  A.   LAWRENCE. 

"  We  cross  the  prairie  as  of  old 

The  Pilgrims  crossed  the  sea, 
To  make  the  West,  as  they  the  East, 
The  homestead  of  the  free ! 

"  We  go  to  rear  a  wall  of  men 

On  Freedom's  southern  line, 
And  plant  beside  the  cotton-tree 
The  rugged  Northern  pine !  " 

To  the  record  of  their  departure  Mr. 
Lawrence  added:  "  All  the  expenditure  thus 
far  has  been  met  by  myself,  but  I  cannot 
go  farther  without  funds  in  hand.  These 
must  be  raised  soon.  The  stock  remains  as 
it  was :  only  $20,000  taken."  A  few  days 
after,  he  was  able  to  give  this  report  of 
doubtful  encouragement:  "$50,000  of  our 
stock  has  been  taken,  thereby  enabling  us 
to  make  an  assessment.  But  it  was  done 
by  a  forced  process,  —  the  trustees  taking 
$10,000  more  each,  which  they  are  respon- 
sible for." 

As  the  pro-slavery  squatters  had  settled  in 
little  towns  on  the  borders  near  Missouri, 
the  first  object  of  the  New  England  emi- 
grants was  to  create  a  centre  for  the  anti- 
slavery  settlers.  The  conductor  of  the  first 
party,  C.  H.  Branscomb,  therefore  followed 
the  directions  given  him  from  Boston,  and 
went  up  the  Kansas  River.  Soon  a  camp 


KANSAS  STRUGGLE.  83 

of  tents,  increased  later  by  huts  and  log-cab- 
ins, marked  the  settlement  of  Wakarusa.  A 
village  with  an  Indian  title  seemed  to  the 
settlers  hardly  consistent  with  the  dignity  of 
the  rising  "  city,"  and  they  naturally  turned 
to  the  East  for  a  name.  In  answer  to  a  re- 
quest for  a  fitting  title  Mr.  Lawrence  had 
written  :  "  It  is  my  decided  opinion  that  the 
Indian  names  of  places,  if  they  are  not  too 
harsh,  are  the  best."  But  Dr.  Charles  Rob- 
inson, who  was  the  leading  representative 
of  the  Emigrant  Aid  Company,  answered : 
"  Your  letter  came  too  late  to  influence  the 
action  of  the  citizens.  A  letter  from  Mr. 
Thayer  was  received  some  time  since,  offer- 
ing a  library  on  behalf  of  the  citizens  of 
Worcester,  if  the  city  would  be  called  by 
that  name  ;  but  our  people  are  nearly  unan- 
imous in  their  opposition  to  the  names  of 
Eastern  or  other  cities  for  our  city.  Most 
of  our  people  are  very  much  attached  to  your 
name,  and  after  I  had  explained  your  course 
in  connection  with  our  enterprise,  and  your 
personal  characteristics,  as  they  had  been 
exhibited  to  me,  there  was  much  enthusiasm 
manifested,  and  I  think  it  will  be  impossible 
to  induce  our  people  to  change  the  name  of 
their  city  for  any  considerations." 


84  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

Mr.  Lawrence  again  protested  :  "  My  mo- 
tives, thus  far,  have  been  pure  and  unselfish  ; 
and  I  wish  them  not  only  to  be,  but  to  ap- 
pear, so ;  this  would  not  be  the  case,  should 
it  be  made  public  that  the  settlement  had 
been  named  for  me.  It  would  give  to  my 
future  efforts  the  appearance  of  promoting 
my  own  celebrity,  —  or,  in  other  words,  my 
own  interests,  —  and  would  lessen  my  own 
influence  for  the  good  of  the  cause.  Besides 
this,  it  might  excite  dissatisfaction  in  the 
minds  of  my  associated  trustees,  both  of 
whom  are  devoted  to  it,  and  one  of  whom 
labored  in  it  long  before  I  did." 

But  he  was  met  by  the  final  letter  from  a 
committee  of  citizens :  "  We  thought  that 
one  who,  in  the  darkest  hour  of  the  grand 
enterprise,  stepped  nobly  forth  to  urge  on  its 
lagging  energies  and  nerve  it  with  the  firm 
*  sinews  of  war,'  and  who  entered  without 
the  hope  or  expectation  of  remuneration, 
was  worthy  of  lasting  remembrance.  It  is 
for  these,  with  other  reasons,  dear  sir,  that 
we  have  taken  the  liberty  of  calling  our  al- 
ready important  place  Lawrence." 

The  purchase  of  a  hotel  in  Kansas  City, 
Mo.,  for  the  temporary  lodgment  of  emi- 


KANSAS  STRUGGLE.  85 

grants,  the  incidental  expenses,  and  agents' 
salaries,  brought  steady  demands  on  the  trus- 
tees. Mr.  Thayer  went  from  city  to  city, 
stating  the  purpose  of  the  society,  creating 
branch  societies,  and  recruiting  emigrants ; 
while  in  Boston  Messrs.  Lawrence  and  Wil- 
liams tried  to  raise  the  necessary  funds, 
though  the  association  was  most  of  the  time 
six  or  seven  thousand  dollars  in  debt  to  the 
treasurer.  It  was  also  easier  for  those  who 
talked  to  make  promises  than  for  the  treas- 
ury to  meet  them.  "  There  is  a  good  deal  of 
bluster,"  wrote  Mr.  Lawrence  to  Mr.  John 
Carter  Brown,  "  in  regard  to  the  movements 
of  this  company,  and  statements  as  to  the 
magnitude  of  our  plans  which  are  untrue." 
To  Mr.  Pomeroy,  an  agent  in  Kansas,  he 
sent  word,  "  This  makes  over-drafts  for 
about  $6,000.  As  to  obtaining  money,  I 
am  sorry  to  say  the  prospect  under  our  pres- 
ent arrangement  is  very  poor ;  some  change 
must  be  made.  Meantime  we  are  making 
large  promises  as  to  what  we  will  do  for  set- 
tlers which  are  certain  to  be  broken,  and 
which  will  entail  much  dissatisfaction." 
"  The  labor  is  much  greater  than  you  would 
suppose,"  he  informed  Mr.  Williams,  "  fully 
as  much  as  to  be  treasurer  of  a  manu- 


86  AMOS  A.   LAWRENCE. 

facturing  corporation  with  a  capital  of 
$1,500,000."  At  about  the  same  time  his 
journal  reads  :  "  Kansas  drafts  came  in  ;  no 
money  in  the  treasury  and  never  have  had, 
and  no  money  of  my  own.  So  I  transferred 
some  manufacturing  company's  stock  to  be 
sold  and  pay  them.  If  Kansas  should  not 
be  a  free  State,  I  shall  lay  it  to  heart  and  to 
my  pocket  too." 

The  report  of  the  Massachusetts  emigra- 
tion movement  was  spread  through  the  coun- 
try with  great  exaggerations,  so  that  the 
Southern  politicians  found  in  it  a  ready 
excuse  for  pouring  ruffians  across  the  line 
simply  to  vote  ;  and  though  the  abolitionists 
condemned  this  constitutional  method  of 
creating  free  States  as  "  false  in  principle," 
yet  it  was  heralded  as  an  abolitionists'  move- 
ment. Several  congressmen  had  attacked 
the  association  so  savagely  that  Mr.  Law- 
rence felt  bound  to  justify  to  Mr.  Benton  the 
company's  action. 

BOSTON,  January  2,  1855. 

DEAR  SIR,  —  ...  It  has  been  asserted 
that  the  emigrants  have  had  their  expenses 
paid  to  go  to  Kansas  and  vote.  In  your  pub- 
lished speech  you  say  that  the  same  game 
may  have  been  played  on  both  sides. 


KANSAS  STRUGGLE.  87 

As  you  love  to  know  the  truth  and  to  de- 
fend it,  I  will  state  that  not  one  man  has 
gone  from  New  England  who  has  had  his 
expenses  paid,  even  in  part.  I  am  the  treas- 
urer and  a  trustee  of  the  only  New  England 
society  which  has  sent  out  settlers,  and  know 
that  all  the  money  collected  has  been  spent 
in  erecting  school-houses,  temporary  huts, 
steam  saw  and  grist  mill,  in  purchasing  a 
tavern  in  the  town  of  Kansas,  Mo.,  and  for 
similar  purposes,  and  for  nothing  worse. 

In  soliciting  subscriptions  or  receiving 
them,  it  is  usual  to  allow  the  subscriber  to 
take  and  pay  for  it  as  stock,  say  $200,  and 
to  receive  a  certificate  of  it,  as  in  any  other 
stock  company ;  or  to  give  outright,  for  the 
same,  $100.  Many  prefer  to  give  the 
money ;  that  is,  they  do  not  value  the  stock 
at  half  price.  None  has  ever  been  sold,  nor 
would  it  sell  at  over  one  half  ;  nor  do  I  be- 
lieve that  there  is  a  stockholder  who  would 
not  have  taken  three  fourths  of  the  cost  the 
moment  when  he  paid  the  money.  It  is 
what  those  who  favor  it  call  a  "  patriotic  " 
movement,  to  bring  into  active  and  healthy 
life  a  new  State,  and  to  keep  slavery  out  of 
it ;  to  get  good  institutions  in,  and  to  keep 
a  bad  institution  out.  Those  "sent  out" 


88  AM 08  A.  LA  WHENCE. 

have  not  been  abolitionists ;  so  far  as  we 
know,  not  one  known  to  be  of  that  stamp  has 
gone  in  our  parties.  They  are  free  to  vote 
and  to  do  as  they  please.  The  society  has 
no  agreement  with  them  nor  pledge,  nor  are 
they  asked  any  questions ;  since  it  is  pre- 
sumed that  all  New  England  men  think 
alike  about  the  iniquity  of  the  measure  of 
the  last  session,  and  as  you  do. 

Yours  truly,  A.  A.  L. 

President  Pierce  was  only  too  ready  to 
listen  to  the  Southern  statement  of  the  Kan- 
sas difficulties ;  but  as  he  happened  to  be  a 
nephew  of  Mr.  Lawrence's  mother,  the  con- 
nection gave  Mr.  Lawrence  opportunities  to 
try  and  correct  the  false  impressions.  "I 
have  been  pained  often,"  he  wrote  to  the 
President,  "  by  seeing  this  association  mis- 
represented ;  it  has  been  called  an  affair  of 
the  abolitionists,  etc.  Some  societies  under 
this  name  have  been  formed  by  abolitionists, 
but  have  accomplished  nothing." 

In  the  mean  time,  affairs  were  approach- 
ing a  crisis  in  Kansas.  Three  months  after 
the  first  party  arrived,  they  had  their  first 
experience  of  a  Kansas  election.  The  choice 
of  a  delegate  to  Congress  for  a  fractional 


KANSAS  STRUGGLE.  89 

term  was  not  a  great  issue,  but  it  was  enough 
to  bring  seventeen  hundred  and  twenty-nine 
Missourians  across  the  border  to  have  a  pic- 
nic and  stuff  the  ballot  -  boxes.  The  pro- 
slavery  candidate  was  therefore  elected.  As 
the  question  of  slave  State  or  free  State  de- 
pended on  the  legislature,  the  capture  of 
that  body  in  the  second  election  was  worth 
a  struggle.  Even  the  Senator  from  Missouri, 
then  acting  vice-president,  David  R.  Atchi- 
son,  did  not  consider  the  subject  beneath  his 
notice  and  personal  activity.  The  result  was 
that  on  the  morning  of  the  30th  of  March 
the  taverns  of  Kansas  were  put  to  the  test 
to  supply  food  and  liquor  for  the  five  thou- 
sand new  citizens  who,  armed  with  revolvers 
and  bowie-knives,  had  swarmed  in  from  Mis- 
souri to  exercise  the  privilege  of  American 
citizens,  and  to  vanish  across  the  border  in 
the  evening.  A  total  of  sixty -three  hun- 
dred and  seven  votes  in  a  Territory  includ- 
ing only  twenty-nine  hundred  and  five  legal 
voters  was  rather  trying.  In  anticipation  of 
this  Mr.  Lawrence  had  written  to  Mr.  Atch- 
ison :  — 

(COTTAGE  FARM  NEAR)  BOSTON,  March  31,  1855. 
MY  DEAR  SIR,  —  I  take   the   liberty  to 
address  you  upon  a  subject  in  which  I  have 


90  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE, 

a  common  interest  with  yourself,  viz. :  the 
settlement  of  Kansas.  Since  the  repeal  of 
the  "  Missouri  Compromise "  by  the  last 
Congress,  this  Territory  has  attracted  the 
attention  of  distant  not  less  than  of  the 
neighboring  States ;  for  it  is  evident  that 
there  must  be  decided  the  question  whether 
there  shall  be  slave  or  free  labor  over  a 
vast  region  of  the  United  States  now  un- 
settled. You  and  your  friends  would  make 
slave  States,  and  we  wish  to  prevent  your 
doing  so.  The  stake  is  a  large  one,  and  the 
ground  chosen.  Let  the  fight  be  a  fair  one. 

It  is  to  secure  this  that  I  address  you. 
Your  influence  is  requisite  to  restrain  your 
people  from  doing  great  injustice  to  actual 
settlers,  and  provoking  them  to  retaliatory 
measures,  the  consequences  of  which  would 
be  most  deplorable.  I  beg  you,  my  dear  sir, 
to  use  your  efforts  to  avert  so  great  an  evil. 

Let  the  contest  be  waged  honorably,  for 
unless  it  be  so,  no  settlement  of  the  question 
can  ever  be  final.  It  is  already  reported 
here  that  large  bodies  of  Missourians  will 
cross  over  merely  to  vote,  and  that  they  may 
gain  this  election  as  they  did  the  last.  But 
how  delusive  to  suppose  that  settlers  who 
have  come  from  one  to  two  thousand  miles 


KANSAS  STRUGGLE,  91 

with  their  families  will  acquiesce  in  any 
election  gained  by  such  means,  or  that  any 
future  election  can  be  satisfactory  which  is 
not  conducted  according  to  law.  The  ad- 
vantage of  proximity  is  yours ;  your  people 
can  afford  to  be  not  only  just,  but  gener- 
ous, in  this  matter.  The  repeal  of  the  law 
which  secured  this  Territory  against  the  in- 
troduction of  slavery  is  considered  by  most 
men  in  the  "  free  States  "  to  be  a  breach  of 
the  national  faith  ;  and  it  is  not  unreason- 
able for  those  who  have  gone  there  to  find 
a  home  to  expect  a  compliance  with  the  laws 
as  they  are.  Those  from  New  England 
have  gone  in  good  faith  and  at  their  own 
expense.  They  are  chiefly  farmers ;  but 
among  them  are  good  representatives  from 
all  professions.  Some  have  considerable 
property,  but  all  have  rights  and  principles 
which  they  value  more  than  money,  and,  I 
may  say,  more  than  life  itself.  Neither  is 
there  any  truth  in  the  assertion  that  they 
are  abolitionists.  No  person  of  that  stripe 
is  known  to  have  gone  from  here ;  nor  is 
it  known  here  that  any  such  have  gone 
from  other  States.  But  oppression  may 
make  them  abolitionists  of  the  most  dan- 
gerous kind. 


92  AMOS  A.   LAWJIENCE. 

There  has  been  much  said  in  regard  to  an 
extensive  organization  here,  which  is  wholly 
untrue.  I  assure  you,  sir,  that  what  has 
been  undertaken  here  will  be  carried  on 
fairly  and  equitably.  The  management  is 
in  the  hands  of  men  of  prudence,  of  wealth 
and  determination ;  they  are  not  politicians, 
nor  are  they  aspirants  for  office :  they  are 
determined,  if  it  be  possible,  to  see  that 
justice  is  done  to  those  who  have  ventured 
their  all  in  that  Territory.  May  I  not  hope, 
sir,  that  you  will  second  this  effort  to  see 
that  the  contest  shall  be  carried  on  fairly  ? 
If  fairly  beaten  you  may  be  sure  that  our 
people  will  acquiesce,  however  reluctant ; 
but  they  never  will  yield  to  injustice. 

Respectfully  yours,          A.  A.  L. 

Soon  after  he  wrote  to  President  Pierce  : 

BOSTON,  April  17,  1855. 

MY  DEAR  SIR,  —  As  the  subject  of  the 
recent  election  in  Kansas  Territory  will 
probably  be  brought  to  your  notice  offi- 
cially, and  as  various  accounts  of  it  will  be 
written  by  interested  parties,  it  may  not  be 
amiss  for  me  to  state  very  briefly  what  I 
know  to  be  true. 

Having  been  in  a  situation  to  see  many 


KANSAS  STRUGGLE.  93 

private  letters  from  persons  in  various  parts 
of  the  Territory,  most  of  them  indicating 
intelligence  and  fairness,  and  having  con- 
versed with  an  intelligent  man  just  from 
there,  I  consider  it  proved  conclusively  that 
the  proceedings  of  the  Missourians  who 
crossed  over  with  arms  were  a  series  of  out- 
rages, grossly  insulting  to  the  actual  settlers, 
to  the  government,  and  to  the  public  senti- 
ment of  the  whole  country.  It  is  difficult 
to  imagine  that  so  much  injury  could  have 
been  inflicted  unaccompanied  by  serious 
casualties,  and  it  can  only  be  accounted  for 
from  the  fact  that  the  invading  force  was 
overwhelmingly  large. 

Since  Governor  Reeder  has  declined  to 
be  used  as  the  agent  of  this  illegal  combi- 
nation, he  has  been  pursued  by  the  foulest 
slander,  and  now  by  threats.  He  will  re- 
quire all  the  countenance  and  support  of  the 
government  to  sustain  him  in  the  position 
in  which  he  is  placed  in  the  performance  of 
his  duty. 

Respectfully  >and  truly  yours, 

A.  A.  L. 

In  a  few  months  the  citizens  of  Kansas 
found  themselves  with  a  legislature  which, 


94  AMOS  A.   LAWRENCE. 

though  repudiated  by  the  territorial  gov- 
ernor, Reeder,  imported  the  whole  code  of 
Missouri  into  Kansas.  This  body  of  law- 
makers not  only  legalized  slavery,  but  de- 
nounced death  against  any  one  who  aided  in 
the  escape  of  a  slave.  As  Professor  Spring 
in  his  "  History  of  Kansas  "  writes  :  "  Their 
code  struck  at  the  liberty  of  the  press,  at 
freedom  of  speech,  and  the  sanctities  of  the 
ballot-box." 

The  Emigrant  Aid  Company  sent  only 
about  thirteen  hundred  emigrants.  But  the 
patriotic  motive  behind  it  affected  public 
opinion  over  the  country  and  helped  to 
make  the  Kansas  struggle  of  national  in- 
terest. The  emigrants,  too,  were  of  such 
character  and  spirit  that  they  formed  the 
nucleus  of  the  Free  State  movement,  and 
their  city,  Lawrence,  was  its  headquarters. 
One  of  the  happiest  results,  however,  was 
the  choice  of  Dr.  Charles  Robinson  of  Fitch- 
burg  as  the  principal  agent  of  the  com- 
pany in  Kansas.  Having  had  some  experi- 
ences in  California  in  the  early  mining  days, 
he  now  developed  a  power  of  leadership 
which  made  him  the  centre  and  guide  of  the 
Free  State  citizens.  He  soon  wrote  to  Mr. 
Lawrence,  "  Instead  of  recognizing  this  as 


KANSAS  STRUGGLE.  95 

the  legislature  of  Kansas  and  participating 
in  its  proceedings  as  such,  I  utterly  repudi- 
ate it."  "  Simply  as  a  citizen  and  as  a  man, 
I  shall,  therefore,  yield  no  submission  to  this 
alien  legislature." 

A  few  days  after  the  receipt  of  this  letter 
an  entry  in  Mr.  Lawrence's  journal  runs : 
"  Paid  §1,000  for  rifles  for  Kansas  sufferers ; 
proceeds  of  them,  when  sold,  to  go  to  the 
'Church  of  the  Pilgrims'  in  Kansas."  And 
he  then  wrote  to  President  Pierce :  — 

BOSTON,  July  15,  1855. 

MY  DEAR  SIR,  —  It  is  evident  that  there 
is  a  body  of  men  in  Missouri  who  are  deter- 
mined to  drive  our  people  from  Kansas,  if 
they  dare  to  do  so  ;  and  for  the  reason  that 
the  settlers  from  the  "  free  States  "  are  op- 
posed to  the  introduction  of  slave  trade 
there.  Up  to  this  time  the  government  has 
kept  so  far  aloof  as  to  force  the  settlers  to 
the  conclusion  that  if  they  would  be  safe, 
they  must  defend  themselves ;  and  therefore 
many  persons  here  who  refused  at  first  (my- 
self included)  have  rendered  them  assistance, 
by  furnishing  them  the  means  of  defense. 
Yours  with  regard,  A.  A.  L. 


96  AMOS  A.   LAWRENCE. 

Then  he  wrote  to  Dr.  Webb,  secretary  of 
the  Emigrant  Aid  Company :  — 

BOSTON,  July  20,  1855. 

DEAR  DOCTOR,  —  Here  is  a  letter  which 
indicates  that  the  crisis  approaches,  and  it 
shows  that  our  friend  Robinson  is  the  man 
to  meet  it.  That  a  revolution  must  take 
place  in  Kansas  is  certain,  if  that  can  be 
called  a  revolution  which  is  only  an  over- 
throw of  usurpation.  When  farmers  turn 
soldiers  they  must  have  arms.  Write  to 
Hartford  and  get  their  terms  for  one  hun- 
dred more  of  the  Sharps  rifles  at  once. 

Yours  truly,  A.  A.  L. 

On  the  same  day  he  wrote  to  Dr.  Robin- 
son: — 

BOSTON,  July  20,  1855. 

MY  DEAR  SIR,  — •  You  are  on  the  eve  of 
stirring  times.  I  wish  Mr.  Pomeroy  was 
with  you.  I  wish  we  all  were  there,  if  we 
could  stand  up  like  men  to  the  work  in 
hand.  I  know  more  than  one  man  here, 
who  looks  every  day  and  every  night  at  his 
wife  and  little  ones,  and  doubts  which  way 
his  duty  lies.  But  we  must  not  doubt. 
Young  men  and  men  like  you  must  do  the 


KANSAS  STRUGGLE.  97 

work,  and  you  must  have  the  glory  of  sav- 
ing a  good  part  of  your  country  to  freedom. 
But  you  must  have  arms,  or  your  courage 
will  not  avail.  We  must  stir  ourselves  here 
to-morrow  and  see  what  can  be  done. 

Yours  faithfully,  A.  A.  L. 

On  the  promise  from  Mr.  Lawrence  of 
81,000  for  arms,  Dr.  Samuel  Cabot,  who  was 
one  of  the  directors  of  the  Emigrant  Com- 
pany, immediately  started  a  subscription 
paper  and  obtained  $1,600  more  from  a 
small  but  mixed  company  of  hunkers,  repub- 
licans, and  abolitionists,  —  Samuel  A.  El- 
iot, J.  M.  Forbes,  Wendell  Phillips,  Gerritt 
Smith,  John  Bertram,  Cunningham  Broth- 
ers, Theodore  Lyman,  Henry  Lee,  E.  Rock- 
wood  Hoar,  Samuel  Hoar,  G.  Howland 
Shaw,  William  R.  Lawrence,  and  two  or 
three  others. 

At  the  same  time  Mr.  J.  B.  Abbott  ap- 
peared in  Boston  with  letters  from  the 
Kansas  people  asking  for  arms.  Mr.  Law- 
rence immediately  gave  him  this  order  to 
Mr.  Palmer  of  the  Sharps  rifle  manufactory 
at  Hartford :  — 

"Request  Mr.  Palmer  to  have  one  hun- 
dred Sharps  rifles  packed  in  casks  like  hard- 


98  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

ware  and  to  retain  them  subject  to  my  or- 
der. Also  to  send  the  bill  to  me  by  mail.  I 
will  pay  it  either  with  my  note,  according 
to  the  terms  agreed  on  between  him  and  Dr. 
Webb,  or  in  cash,  less  interest  at  seven  per 
cent." 

Before  the  subscriptions  had  come  in, 
Mr.  Lawrence  had  advanced  the  payment 
by  his  note  for  $2,700 ;  for,  as  he  wrote  to 
his  uncle,  "  I  send  to  Kansas  every  hundred 
dollars  that  I  can  get  and  which  is  not 
previously  engaged  ;  for  that  seems  to  be  an 
immediate  necessity  and  will  not  bear  de- 
lay." A  few  casks  marked  "  books "  were 
soon  on  their  way  to  Kansas,  and  later, 
several  "boxes  of  primers"  were  received 
by  the  Free  State  citizens  for  the  education 
of  their  Missouri  neighbors.  They  arrived 
just  in  time  for  service.  President  Pierce, 
instead  of  listening  to  the  urgent  requests 
of  the  citizens  of  Kansas  for  justice  and  pro- 
tection, had  dismissed  Governor  Reeder,  and 
had  put  in  his  place  Wilson  Shannon.  The 
new  governor  immediately  yielded  to  his  pro- 
slavery  advisers,  and,  taking  advantage  of 
exaggerations,  ordered  out  the  state  militia 
(which  consisted  largely  of  Missouri  ruf- 
fians) for  the  invasion  of  the  Free  State 


KANSAS  STRUGGLE.  99 

headquarters,  —  the  city  of  Lawrence.  To 
their  surprise  they  found  five  small  forts 
garrisoned  with  six  hundred  men,  two  hun- 
dred of  whom  were  armed  with  Sharps  ri- 
fles. The  major-general,  Dr.  Robinson,  had 
never  seen  military  service,  but  he  had  that 
tact  and  shrewdness  which  gave  him  a  blood- 
less victory.  In  the  midst  of  the  excitement 
he  wrote  to  Mr.  Lawrence  :  — 

LAWRENCE,  December  4,  1855. 
DEAR  SIR,  —  We  are  invaded  by  order 
of  Governor  Shannon,  but  all  will  be  right,  I 
think.  I  have  only  time  to  thank  you  and 
the  friends  who  sent  us  the  Sharps  rifles, 
for  they  have  given  us,  and  will  give  us,  the 
victory  without  firing  a  shot.  We  need,  how- 
ever, one  or  two  hundred  more  of  the  same 
sort. 

In  haste,  very  respectfully, 

C.  ROBINSON. 

Fearing  that  the  excitement  of  the  Kan- 
sas people  might  lead  them  to  resist  the 
United  States  government,  Mr.  Lawrence 
in  sending  the  first  instalment  of  rifles  had 
written  Dr.  Robinson  :  — 


100  AMOS  A.    LAWRENCE. 

BOSTON,  August  10,  1855. 

MY  DEAR  SIR,  —  From  Mr.  Abbott  who 
has  just  arrived  here  from  your  neighbor- 
hood, I  infer  that  the  spirit  of  the  settlers 
has  been  raised  so  high  that  they  are  ready 
to  repudiate  the  present  legislature  alto- 
gether, and  to  resist  its  requirements.  In 
this,  you  will  have  the  good-will  and  assist- 
ance of  the  citizens  of  the  free  States  at 
least. 

But  many  are  willing  to  go  farther,  and 
to  resist  the  United  States  government,  if  it 
should  interfere.  For  this  I  can  see  no 
apology ;  nor  can  there  ever  be  good  cause 
for  resisting  an  administration  chosen  by 
ourselves.  However  wrong  in  our  opinion, 
there  never  can  be  good  reason  for  resisting 
our  own  government,  unless  it  attempts  to 
destroy  the  power  of  the  people  through  the 
elections,  that  is,  to  take  away  the  power  of 
creating  a  new  administration  every  four 
years.  But  I  do  not  believe  the  present 
administration  will  attempt  to  impose  the 
Missouri  code  upon  the  citizens  of  Kansas. 

There  is  another  reason  of  a  more  pru- 
dential kind,  viz. :  that  whoever  does  this 
is  sure  of  defeat.  We  are  a  law-abiding 
people,  and  we  will  sustain  our  own  govern- 


KANSAS  STRUGGLE.  101 

ment  "  right  or  wrong."  Any  movement 
aimed  at  the  government  destroys  at  once 
the  moral  force  of  the  party  or  organization 
which  favors  it.  Already  the  present  ad- 
ministration is  rendered  powerless  by  the 
House  of  Representatives,  and  soon  will 
come  the  time  to  vote  for  a  new  one.  The 
people  will  never  resist  or  attempt  to  de- 
stroy it  in  any  other  way. 

Yours  very  truly,  A.  A.  L. 

A  few  days  later  he  wrote :  "  To  set  up 
for  yourselves  is  to  dispute  the  power  of  the 
United  States  government,  and  that  is  a 
thing  which  never  will  be  approved  in  this 
country,  I  hope.  Perhaps  this  is  not  a 
correct  view  of  the  case.  But  if  it  is,  there 
can  be  no  difference  of  opinion.  The  sen- 
timent of  the  whole  free  States  is  right  on 
this  subject ;  democrats  and  all  think  alike. 
Nothing  should  be  done  to  make  a  division. 
Prudence,  Doctor,  forbearance,  and  decision, 
these  are  the  qualities  which  will  be  most 
in  requisition.  I  feel  sure  that  the  United 
States  government  never  will  undertake  to 
enforce  the  whole  of  the  laws  of  the  present 
legislature,  and  perhaps  none  of  them.  I 
wrote  to  you  on  the  10th.  Write  me  a  good 


102  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

letter  about  the  want  of  the  means  of  de- 
fence, and  ask  Mrs.  Nichols  to  write  me  one. 
Dr.  Cabot  wants  them  to  show,  in  order  to 
get  money  for  rifles." 

The  Free  State  settlers  felt  that  they  had 
the  right  and  duty  of  self-defence  from  the 
incursions  of  Missouri  ruffians,  the  stuffing 
of  the  ballot-boxes,  and  the  execution  of  the 
code  of  laws  passed  by  a  bogus  legislature, 
and  in  this  they  were  encouraged  by  the  sen- 
timent of  all  liberty-loving  citizens.  But 
the  distinction  between  such  self-defence  and 
resistance  to  the  United  States  government, 
the  officers  of  the  Emigrant  Aid  Company 
and  their  agents  in  Kansas  held  to  be  a 
vital  one.  And  though  the  charge  was  then 
made,  and  has  since  been  repeated,  that  the 
officers  and  agents  of  the  Emigrant  Aid  Com- 
pany encouraged  resistance  to  the  United 
States  authority,  there  is  nothing  in  their 
correspondence  or  actions  that  substantiates 
the  charge.  On  the  contrary,  with  every  new 
box  of  rifles  went  the  urgent  advice,  "  Your 
best  friends  would  advise  you,  if  their  opin- 
ion was  asked,  not  under  any  circumstances 
to  resist  any  legal  representative  of  the 
United  States,  nor  allow  our  people  to  do  it. 
That  would  put  you  wrong  before  the  coun- 


KANSAS  STRUGGLE.  103 

try,  and  more  than  anything  else  take  from 
you  the  nationality  which  you  now  hold." 
"  The  President  is  in  a  bad  predicament,  as 
you  see  by  his  proclamation.  He  wants  to 
have  the  ruffians  flogged,  but  he  is  afraid  to 
do  it.  He  knows  that  Free  State  people 
are  law-abiding,  but  he  is  afraid  to  say  that 
from  fear  of  being  called  an  abolitionist  him- 
self. I  do  hope  our  friends  will  never  dis- 
pute the  authority  of  the  United  States.  It 
will  help  the  cause,  if  that  sentiment  could 
be  brought  out  in  some  way,  so  as  not  to  ap- 
pear to  have  been  done  by  design." 

To  Dr.  Robinson  he  wrote,  on  December 
10,  1855 :  - 

"  To-day  newspapers  contain  the  first  reli- 
able information  in  regard  to  the  recent  diffi- 
culties. We  are  usually  obliged  to  feed  on 
lies  for  several  days,  and  so  it  has  been  in 
this  case.  I  do  not  believe  you  will  have  the 
United  States  government  against  you.  But 
if  you  should,  adhere  to  your  determination 
not  to  allow  any  circumstances  to  lead  to  a 
resistance.  If  the  Kansas  men  are  true  to 
the  cause  of  freedom,  they  will  never  infringe 
in  the  least  degree  the  constitution  and  laws 
of  the  United  States.  For  the  part  which 
you  have  taken,  I  thank  you,  my  dear  sir, 


104  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

from  the  bottom  of  my  heart,  and  you  will 
receive  the  gratitude  of  all  men  who  like 
freedom  better  than  slavery." 

On  the  same  day  he  wrote  to  President 
Pierce,  who  had  begun  to  suspect  the  settlers 
of  treason :  — 

"  From  letters  which  I  have  seen  from 
the  men  who  exert  the  most  influence  in 
Kansas,  and  who  represent  the  Free  State 
party  there  (a  party  comprising  three  fourths 
of  the  inhabitants),  there  has  been  no  inten- 
tion of  resisting  the  execution  of  the  laws 
of  the  United  States  by  the  proper  officers  ; 
nor  can  any  circumstances  arise  which  will 
induce  them  to  resist,  or  even  to  question 
the  authority  of  the  United  States  Execu- 
tive. They  will  not  recognize  the  late  legis- 
lature, nor  its  enactments,  nor  its  officers." 

Again :  "  I  believe  you  do  not  overrate  the 
intensity  of  feeling  on  this  subject  in  the  Ter- 
ritory and  in  the  adjoining  States ;  nor  the 
magnitude  of  the  danger  which  now  threat- 
ens the  peace  of  the  country  from  this  cause. 
Preparations  are  making,  on  the  one  side  for 
attack,  and  on  the  other  for  defence ;  and  if 
the  latter  proves  ineffectual,  we  shall,  within 
a  few  months,  see  what  never  has  been  seen  in 
this  country,  and  what  never  can  be  seen  but 


KANSAS  STRUGGLE.  105 

once  —  an  internal  civil  and  servile  war. 
If  future  history  should  trace  this  back  to 
the  repeal  of  the  compromise  of  1820,  your 
administration,  otherwise  so  honorable,  would 
receive  the  condemnation  of  posterity. 

"  But  though  we  have  many  national  sins 
to  be  atoned  for,  I  trust  that  the  same  kind 
Providence  which  has  averted  previous  dan- 
gers to  our  Union  will  avert  this,  and  save 
us  from  a  great  national  calamity." 

Again,  to  Hon.  Gerritt  Smith  he  wrote : 
"The  outcry  made  by  the  Administration 
papers  against  sending  arms  is  to  hide  the 
Administration's  neglect  to  send  orders  long 
ago  for  protecting  the  settlers.  The  asser- 
tion that  they  are  to  be  used  in  resisting  the 
authority  of  the  United  States  government  is 
wholly  unfounded." 

Again,  when  in  November,  1856,  the  prob- 
able election  of  Buchanan  caused  the  fear 
that  what  had  been  gained  might  in  that 
case  be  lost,  pressure  from  some  of  the  more 
enthusiastic  advocates  of  Kansas  suggested 
resistance  to  the  government.  At  that  time 
Mr.  Lawrence  made  this  record  in  his  jour- 
nal: — 

"  November  5.  Went  with  Governor  Rob- 
inson and  Senator  Henry  Wilson  to  a  pri- 


106  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

vate  meeting  of  about  twenty  Kansas  men 
to  decide  what  shall  be  done  if  Buchanan  is 
elected.  Rev.  Mr.  Higginson  advocated  re- 
sistance to  the  government.  Mr.  Wilson 
spoke  against  that  doctrine  very  decidedly : 
so  did  I." 

The  New  England  Emigrant  Aid  Com- 
pany had  nothing  to  do  with  the  purchase  of 
arms  for  Kansas.  A  few  of  the  officers  of 
the  society,  who  were  in  a  position  to  know 
the  needs  of  Kansas,  as  private  citizens  joined 
with  other  citizens  in  the  purchase  of  the 
arms.  Mr.  Lawrence  was  treasurer  of  the 
Aid  Company,  but  in  speaking  of  the  arms 
he  wrote  to  Dr.  Webb,  the  secretary  of  the 
Company,  "  Dr.  Cabot  is  treasurer  of  the 
rifle  funds.  I  am  treasurer  of  the  relief 
funds." 


VII. 

KANSAS   FREE. 

1856. 

THE  affairs  of  the  Free  State  men  in 
Kansas,  who  under  their  own  constitution 
had  elected  Robinson  governor  of  Kansas  in 
January,  1856,  went  from  bad  to  worse.  The 
President,  whom  Mr.  Lawrence  described  as 
"  a  small  man  who  held  a  great  office," 
seemed  passive  under  the  pro-slavery  influ- 
ences about  him :  the  territorial  govern- 
ment gained  courage  ;  and,  under  Judge  Le 
Compte,  the  grand  jury  sent  out  warrants 
for  the  arrest  of  the  leading  Free  State  men 
as  traitors.  Lawrence  was  invaded,  the 
printing  press  was  destroyed,  Governor  Rob- 
inson's house  was  burned  and  he  was  taken 
prisoner,  the  hotel  and  shops  were  sacked 
and  gutted. 

It  was,  however,  a  struggle  which  could 
be  carried  on  only  in  Kansas.  The  Emigrant 
Aid  work  was  over,  and  the  friends  of  lib- 


108  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

erty  could  only  show  their  interest  by  giving 
aid  and  encouragement  to  the  impoverished, 
and  bringing  pressure  to  bear  upon  the  Ex- 
ecutive at  Washington.  Into  this  work  Mr. 
Lawrence  now  entered.  To  a  Quaker  at 
Lynn  he  wrote  a  characteristic  letter :  — 

BOSTON,  September  24,  1856. 
MY  DEAR  SIR,  —  In  reply  to  yours  I  will 
say  that  all  money  sent  to  the  treasurer  of 
the  New  England  Emigrant  Aid  Company 
(myself)  will  be  appropriated  as  you  request. 
This  company  has  never  sent  arms  nor  am- 
munition. Any  supplies  of  this  sort  were 
sent  by  private  individuals.  .  .  .  This  com- 
pany is  now  forwarding  clothing,  which  is 
very  much  wanted  to  enable  the  settlers,  who 
have  been  harassed  all  summer,  and  have  lost 
their  crops  partially  or  wholly,  to  remain 
during  the  winter.  Few  have  money  to  spare 
to  lay  in  a  stock  of  new  clothes,  and  they 
must  buy  them  at  a  high  price,  if  at  all. 
We  have  a  depository  for  all  this  in  Iowa, 
and  it  will  be  used  only  as  it  is  wanted. 
Shoes.  What  can  Lynn  people  do  so  useful 
as  collect  all  the  unsalable  shoes,  if  there  are 
such  things,  and  send  them  out.  They  must 
have  them  packed  in  barrels,  or  you  may 


KANSAS  FREE.  109 

pack  them  and  mark  them  LYNN.  A  dozen 
or  two  such  boxes  would  revive  their  weary 
soles.  Send  to  T.  H.  Webb,  Emigrant  Aid 
Rooms,  3  Winter  Street,  Boston.  Now  is 
the  time.  All  merchandise  must  go  out  at 
once.  In  many  towns  the  ladies  are  having 
"  Bees  "  to  sew  for  Kansas.  In  some  houses 
(my  own  for  one)  they  have  packed  up 
everything  not  in  use,  and  will  buy  a  new 
stock  for  themselves.  Remember  that  there 
are  thirty  thousand  Free  State  men,  women, 
and  children  there.  Take  off  your  coat,  my 
dear  friend,  and  put  on  your  best  one :  and 
take  your  overcoat  and  pantaloons  ;  save 
only  one  suit  for  Sunday  and  week  days,  and 
pack  up  the  rest.  That  will  stir  up  your 
neighbors  to  do  the  same.  They  will  be 
warmer  without  them  because  their  hearts 
will  keep  them  warm  all  winter,  and  inside 
heat  is  the  best  and  lasts  the  longest. 

Yours  very  truly,  A.  A.  L. 

To  a  citizen  of  Osawatomie,  Kansas,  he 
wrote :  "  At  this  time  there  is  a  great  effort 
making  to  get  enough  to  rebuild  the  hotel 
and  to  place  two  more  mills  where  they  have 
been  promised.  I  wish  my  own  means  were 
commensurate  with  my  desires,  and  I  would 


110  AMOS  A.   LAWRENCE. 

do  the  needful.  Some  people  dread  the  re- 
sponsibility imposed  by  wealth ;  I  have  never 
had  that  feeling,  but  the  reverse,  for  I  feel 
every  day  and  hour,  the  want  of  money. 
Twenty  times  the  amount  I  have  to  spare 
would  not  come  amiss,  in  fact  the  want  of  it 
makes  me  more  or  less  unhappy  every  day. 
This  very  morning  I  have  declined  to  do  as 
much  as  would  require  my  receipts  for  many 
months." 

To  the  release  of  Dr.  Robinson,  Mr.  Law- 
rence gave  close  attention.  He  wrote  to 
Hon.  S.  G.  Haven,  member  of  Congress,  "  A 
friend  of  mine,  Dr.  Charles  Robinson,  one 
of  the  noblest  men  I  ever  knew,  is  at  this 
moment  a  prisoner,  guarded  by  the  troops  of 
the  Federal  Government,  though  he  has 
done  nothing  but  what  you  or  I  would  have 
been  proud  to  do.  He  is  not  only  a  patriot, 
but  he  is  a  lover  of  the  constitution  and  the 
laws.  In  order  to  save  him  from  trouble, 
I  have  takeu  for  him,  from  the  commence- 
ment, the  highest  legal  advice  in  Massachu- 
setts, and  he  has  followed  it." 

Through  Mr.  Pomeroy  of  Kansas,  who  was 
now  in  Washington,  Mr.  Lawrence  tried  un- 
successfully to  move  the  President  to  release 
Dr.  Robinson.  But  another  and  more  effec- 


KANSAS  FREE.  Ill 

tive  method  was  used.  He  first  wrote  the 
draught  of  such  a  letter  as  would  have  been 
written  by  a  wife  imploring  the  release  of 
her  husband.  This  letter  was  then  copied 
by  Mrs.  Robinson,  who  took  the  precaution 
to  omit  some  of  the  more  sentimental  pas- 
sages, and  was  sent  to  Mrs.  Pierce  inclosed 
with  a  letter  from  Mr.  Lawrence's  step- 
mother, who  was  a  favorite  aunt  of  the 
President.  Mrs.  Pierce  after  reading  the 
letter  handed  it  to  her  husband,  and  a  few 
days  later  Mr.  Lawrence  was  able  to  write 
to  Mrs.  Robinson,  "  Not  long  since  the  Pres- 
ident wrote  to  my  brother  that  he  had  given 
such  instructions  as  would  gratify  him  and 
his  friends  here,  especially  my  mother,  whose 
good  opinion  he  valued  more  than  that  of  all 
the  politicians." 

The  result  was  the  release  of  Dr.  Robinson. 

In  a  few  months  Kansas  seemed  to  be  as- 
sured of  freedom  ;  and  Mr.  Lawrence  could 
write  to  a  Kansas  acquaintance  in  July, 
1857  :  — 

"  We  look  on  the  great  question  as  now 
settled,  and  all  political  movements  in  Kan- 
sas as  having  chiefly  a  local  interest.  Some 
of  us  stood  ready  to  have  made  a  much 
greater  sacrifice  had  it  been  necessary,  some- 


112  AMOS  A.   LAWRENCE. 

what  commensurate  with  that  made  by  your- 
self and  others.  For  months  I  felt  as  though 
I  held  my  property  and  even  my  life  by  an 
uncertain  tenure  ;  but  with  a  numerous  fam- 
ily of  children  and  a  loving  wife,  I  did  not 
intend  to  part  with  either  until  it  was  nec- 
essary to  bring  up  the  '  forlorn  hope.'  But 
I  have  never  had  the  least  doubt  about  our 
carrying  it  ultimately.  Please  not  show  this 
to  any  one,  for  I  never  wrote  it  before,  and 
never  reflect  upon  it  without  devout  grati- 
tude to  God  for  having  spared  me  so  great 
a  sacrifice.  Now  we  must  be  magnanimous 
to  the  South.  Slavery  cannot  be  extended. 
Whether  it  can  ever  be  got  rid  of  in  this 
country  is  doubtful.  It  is  a  curse  imposed 
by  the  sins  of  our  ancestors,  and  we  must 
bear  it  patiently." 

In  January,  1858,  Dr.  Robinson  sent  the 
welcome  news  to  Mr.  Lawrence  :  "  Thank 
God,  the  battle  is  over  in  Kansas  and  the 
victory  is  won.  The  Lecompton  state  gov- 
ernment is  secured,  and  now  all  is  in  the 
hands  of  the  people.  The  border  ruffians 
are  now  opposing  their  own  constitution." 

Eighteen  months  later,  when  affairs  in 
Kansas  were  settled,  Governor  Robinson  in 
a  friendly  letter  gave  this  gratifying  testi- 


KANSAS  FREE.  113 

mony :  "  You  may  not  know  it  and  the  peo- 
ple of  Kansas  may  not  be  sensible  of  it,  but 
I  am  very  much  mistaken  in  my  estimate  of 
the  influences  that  have  contributed  to  the 
freedom  of  Kansas,  if  we  are  not  far  more 
indebted  to  you  than  to  any  other  man  for 
our  success.  Without  your  name,  the  Emi- 
grant Aid  Company  would  have  been  a  ci- 
pher, and  without  your  encouragement,  cour- 
age, and  support,  what  little  I  have  been 
able  to  do  would  have  been  left  undone." 

Time  and  more  mature  thought  seem  only 
to  have  deepened  the  impression  of  Governor 
Robinson,  who  thirty  years  later  writes  to 
Mr.  Lawrence's  son: 

LAWRENCE,  KANSAS,  June  13,  1887. 
MY  DEAR  SIR,  —  I  have  said  innumerable 
times  that  I  believe  that  without  the  aid  ren- 
dered by  Amos  A.  Lawrence  and  Eli  Thayer, 
Kansas  would  have  been  a  slave  State.  I 
think  the  absence  of  either  would  have  been 
fatal.  I  know  of  no  other  man  whose  pres- 
ence was  indispensable.  When  the  dust  of 
controversy  shall  have  settled  or  been  wiped 
away,  it  will  be  clearly  seen  that  without  the 
movement  in  New  England,  embodied  in  the 
Emigrant  Aid  Society,  the  South  would  have 


114  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

had  an  easy  victory,  and  without  the  mate- 
rial and  moral  support  to  that  society  of  Mr. 
Lawrence  and  Mr.  Thayer,  it  would  have 
been  an  abortion.  It  was  his  individual 
money  that  sent  out  the  first  agents,  Mr. 
Branscomb  and  myself,  in  June,  1854,  within 
one  month  after  the  passage  of  the  Kansas- 
Nebraska  Bill,  and  my  belief  is  that  all  the 
money  advanced  for  months,  if  not  for  years, 
was  from  his  private  funds,  —  that  is,  the 
receipts  were  always  behind  the  expendi- 
tures, and  the  company  was  always  in  debt 
to  its  treasurer.  The  moral  support  his 
name  gave  the  movement  cannot  be  meas- 
ured. 

Mr.  Lawrence  was  one  of  the  very  few 
men  who  seemed  to  comprehend  the  struggle 
in  its  every  detail,  and  to  see  the  end  from 
the  beginning.  To  his  mind  there  were  no 
accidents.  Each  step  taken  by  the  Free 
State  men  had  a  meaning,  and  every  move- 
ment of  the  Free  State  party  was  in  ac- 
cordance with  a  plan  well  digested  and 
understood  by  him.  Mr.  Lawrence  was 
distinguished  for  many  and  great  virtues 
and  deeds,  but  the  crowning  glory  of  his 
beneficent  life  will  forever  be  his  work  in 
saving  Kansas  to  freedom,  and,  as  a  con- 


KANSAS  FREE.  115 

sequence,   redeeming  the   nation   from   the 
curse  of  slavery.  Very  truly, 

C.  ROBINSON. 

The  account  of  Mr.  Lawrence's  connec- 
tion with  the  settlement  of  Kansas  would 
not  be  complete  without  the  mention  of  two 
points  which  suggest  historic  interest  as  well 
as  some  features  of  his  character. 

The  first  is  in  relation  to  the  education  of 
the  people  of  Kansas.  As  was  seen  in  Wis- 
consin, he  could  not  throw  money  and  en- 
thusiasm into  the  development  of  a  piece  of 
country,  or  of  a  struggling  population,  with- 
out, at  the  earliest  moment,  laying  the  foun- 
dation of  some  system  of  popular  education. 

The  earliest  settlers  of  Kansas,  like  true 
New  Englanders,  had  no  sooner  driven  down 
their  tent-pins  than  they  began  to  talk  of  a 
college.  Fearing  that  they  might  fall  into 
the  error  of  developing  a  superficial  form  of 
higher  education  before  the  rudiments  had 
been  attended  to,  Mr.  Lawrence  wrote  to 
Dr.  Robinson  in  November,  1854 :  — 

"You  have  laid  out  grounds  for. a  col- 
lege, and  will  have  a  good  one,  without 
doubt,  in  time  ;  but,  in  the  first  place,  you 
must  have  a  preparatory  school,  where  the 


116  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

boys  shall  be  fitted  for  college.  It  should 
be  for  boys,  and  not  for  girls.  There  may 
be  a  girls'  school  too ;  but  the  boys  should 
be  cared  for  first.  My  own  impression  is 
that  we  have  fallen  into  a  great  error  here  in 
Massachusetts,  of  late  years,  by  raising  the 
standard  of  female  education  so  high  that 
physical  development  has  been  checked,  and 
the  constitutions  weakened.  Our  women 
are  good  scholars,  and  good  school-mis- 
tresses ;  but  they  are  unhealthy  and  weak, 
and  do  not  bear  strong  children  ;  and  while 
we  are  refining  the  intellect,  we  are  injur- 
ing the  stock.  .  .  . 

"  I  wish  my  finances  were  so  that  I  could 
give  you  an  order  to  go  on  and  build  at 
once  ;  but  that  is  out  of  the  question.  My 
share  in  the  transaction  shall  be  to  pay  one 
hundred  dollars  every  month,  and  I  think  I 
can  continue  to  do  that,  if  my  health  is 
spared,  for  some  time  to  come.  The  only 
condition  which  shall  be  imposed  is  that 
you  shall  not  mention  to  any  one,  nor  inti- 
mate to  any  one,  except  Mr.  Pomeroy  (with 
whom  you  may  advise,  you  having  imposed 
the  same  injunction  on  him),  from  whence 
the  money  proceeds,  except  that  you  may 
say,  when  it  is  necessary  to  do  so,  that  it  is 


KANSAS  FREE.  117 

sent  to  you  from  Massachusetts.  Perhaps 
some  one  will  appear,  who  will  give  money 
to  build  it  up  at  once,  but  I  know  of  no  one. 
The  building  when  completed  should  be  a 
handsome  one,  and  of  stone  or  brick." 

Two  years  later  the  development  of  the 
people  and  the  heroic  deaths  of  some  of  the 
young  men  of  Kansas  seemed  to  Mr.  Law- 
rence to  give  both  a  reason  and  a  name  for 
a  college,  and  he  then  wrote  to  Rev.  Mr. 
Nute,  of  Lawrence,  and  Governor  Robinson. 

BOSTON,  December  16,  1856. 
DEAR  SIR,  —  Some  time  ago  I  requested 
Governor  Robinson  to  spend  some  money  for 
me  in  laying  the  foundation  of  a  "  prepara- 
tory school "  in  Lawrence,  but  the  title  to 
the  land  was  imperfect,  and  the  thing  was 
not  done.  The  plan  of  a  preparatory  depart- 
ment must  be  adopted  before  you  can  have 
a  college ;  unless  there  should  be  a  classical 
school  established  by  the  town.  Neverthe- 
less, I  wish  to  see  the  plan  adopted,  and  to 
help  along  its  completion.  1  have  thought 
it  over  much  and  it  is  briefly  this,  viz. : 
You  shall  have  a  college,  which  shall  be  a 
school  of  learning,  and  at  the  same  time 
a  monument  to  perpetuate  the  memory  of 


118  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

those  martyrs  of  liberty  who  fell  during 
the  recent  struggle.  Beneath  it  their  dust 
shall  rest.  In  it  shall  burn  the  light  of  lib- 
erty, which  shall  never  be  extinguished  till 
it  illumines  the  whole  continent.  It  shall 
be  called  the  "  Free  State  College,"  and  all 
the  friends  of  freedom  shall  be  invited  to 
lend  it  a  helping  hand. 

Will  you  oblige  me  by  conversing  with 
Governor  Robinson  in  regard  to  this,  and 
with  any  other  whom  you  would  consult,  but 
without  publicity.  I  cannot  furnish  cash 
for  building,  but  I  can  give  what  will  be 
as  good  for  paying  expenses  after  it  is  up. 
For  instance,  having  advanced  $10,000  to 
the  university  at  Appleton,  Wis.,  last  year,  I 
hold  their  notes  on  interest.  This  is  a  good 
institution,  and  owes  little  or  nothing  except 
this.  They  have  about  two  hundred  thou- 
sand dollars'  worth  of  property,  and  450 
students  on  their  catalogue.  I  wish  I  had 
money,  but  fear  the  time  is  distant  when  I 
shall  have  more  than  enough  to  carry  along 
my  plans  begun  long  ago. 

With  great  regard,  yours  truly, 

A.  A.  L. 


KANSAS  FREE.  119 

He  thus  wrote  to  Dr.  Robinson :  — 

December  17,  1856. 

DEAR  SIR, — .  .  .  I  wrote  yesterday  to 
Rev.  Mr.  Nute  (with  whom  I  had  no  per- 
sonal acquaintance)  about  a  monumental 
college,  and  requested  him  to  consult  with 
you.  It  is  an  old  project  of  mine,  and  per- 
haps of  yours.  At  any  rate,  I  do  not  wish 
to  lead  off  in  it  at  all,  and  will  not.  It  may 
seem  assuming  too  much  to  suggest  a  name 
for  it,  but  do  so  to  prevent  my  own  from 
being  thought  of,  nor  would  I  consent  to  it 
under  any  circumstances.  It  is  a  grand 
project,  and  I  hope  it  will  be  carried  out. 
It  pains  me  not  to  be  in  a  condition  to  take 
hold  and  put  up  the  first  building.  .  .  . 
Yours,  A.  A.  L. 

The  immediate  need  of  the  State  was  not, 
however,  a  great  monumental  institution, 
but  some  educational  system  in  all  the  towns 
and  sparsely  settled  districts ;  therefore  Mr. 
Lawrence  wrote  to  Governor  Geary :  — 

"  To  secure  the  adoption  in  all  parts  of 
the  Territory  of  the  best  system  of  public 
schools  seems  to  be  desirable  at  this  early 
day,  and  I  have  a  plan  to  communicate  to 
some  one  or  two  who  have  the  leisure  to  at- 


120  AMOS  A.   LAWRENCE. 

tend  to  its  execution.  Some  funds  which  I 
intended  for  the  proposed  university  will 
be  better  used  for  the  present  for  this  pur- 
pose ;  and  if  the  government  should  make 
adequate  provisions  for  the  former,  no  pri- 
vate contributions  would  be  required.  In 
the  centre  of  this  continent  there  should  be 
a  model  State  which  shall  be  an  example  to 
all ;  a  model  for  those  which  come  in  here- 
after to  copy,  and  a  stimulant  to  the  old 
States  to  keep  up  a  high  standard  of  learn- 
ing, virtue,  and  patriotism." 

Soon  he  placed  in  the  hands  of  Dr.  Rob- 
inson and  Mr.  S.  C.  Pomeroy,  as  trustees, 
$10,000  for  educational  purposes.  The  sum 
served  as  a  stimulus  to  several  religious 
bodies  to  organize  educational  institutions 
in  order  to  obtain  the  income.  In  answer 
to  an  appeal  from  one  denomination  he 
wrote  this  letter  :  — 

"  The  subject  of  denomination  for  the 
proposed  college  may  turn  out  hereafter  to 
be  very  important,  and  as  it  is  decided  now, 
so  the  institution  may  or  may  not  be  success- 
ful. But  if  it  were  left  to  myself  to  decide, 
I  should  be  totally  at  a  loss  ;  and  therefore 
it  has  appeared  to  be  best  to  allow  it  to  take 
its  chance.  Though  a  pretty  rigid  Episco- 


KANSAS  FREE.  121 

palian,  I  have  no  prejudice  against  any  body 
of  men  who  love  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and 
only  hope  that  such  men  will  control  the  af- 
fairs of  the  proposed  seminary.  The  older 
we  grow,  the  more  we  value  simple  piety, 
wherever  we  find  it,  and  the  less  importance 
we  attach  to  sects." 

When  the  State  University  was  founded 
in  1863,  the  110,000  held  by  trustees  in  the 
city  of  Lawrence  induced  the  government  to 
place  their  university  there,  where  it  now 
forms  a  centre  of  literary  life  in  that  rapidly 
developing  country. 


VIII. 

JOHN   BROWN. 

1855-1859. 

THE  other  point  of  interest  in  Mr.  Law- 
rence's Kansas  experience  is  his  relations  to 
old  John  Brown  of  Harper's  Ferry  fame. 

While  John  Brown  was  a  wool  merchant 
in  1843,  Mr.  Lawrence  had  made  some  pur- 
chases of  him.  When  Brown's  four  sons,  who 
were  in  Kansas,  sent  for  their  father  to  come 
out  and  help  fight  the  border  ruffians,  he 
sought  his  old  business  acquaintance,  who, 
as  treasurer  of  the  Emigrant  Aid  Company, 
was  informed  in  Kansas  matters.  Mr.  Law- 
rence gave  him  a  letter  to  Dr.  Robinson,  and 
at  the  same  time  noted  in  his  diary  that  "  he 
had  the  look  of  a  determined  man." 

The  aim  of  the  great  body  of  Free  State 
settlers  who  were  led  by  Robinson  was  rad- 
ically different  from  that  of  Brown.  Theirs, 
as  we  have  seen,  was  to  create  a  free  State 
by  lawful  means;  his  was  to  exterminate 


JOHN  BROWN.  123 

slavery  with  gun,  pike,  and  sword.  John 
Brown  himself  said  to  Dr.  Robinson,  that 
"  the  success  in  securing  a  free  State  was 
his  failure  ;  "  still,  the  opposition  of  the  Free 
State  party  to  the  first  elections  of  the  ter- 
ritorial legislature  brought  them  together  for 
a  time.  Against  the  peaceful  and  constitu- 
tional measures  of  the  Free  State  citizens 
Brown  protested,  and  he  soon  entered  on 
his  course  of  violence  and  bloodshed,  which, 
beginning  at  Pottawatomie,  ended  at  Har- 
per's Ferry. 

In  spite  of  the  fact  that  Dr.  Robinson 
wrote  to  Mr.  Lawrence  that  Brown  was 
"unreliable,  and  would  as  soon  shoot  a 
United  States  officer  as  a  border  ruffian," 
the  excitement  and  violence  of  the  times 
were  such  that  deeds  and  methods  were  not 
tested  with  the  nicety  of  sober  judgment. 

In  January,  1857,  John  Brown  came  to 
Boston  to  testify  before  a  legislative  com- 
mittee which  had  before  it  the  subject  of 
an  appropriation  of  $100,000  for  the  aid  of 
Kansas. 

Mr.  Lawrence's  journal  has  this  record :  — 

"  January  6, 1857.  Very  cold  and  windy. 
Rode  an  hour  and  a  half.  Called  at  the 
United  States  Hotel  on  Captain  John  Brown, 


124  AMOS  A.   LAWRENCE. 

the  old  Kansas  hero.  Found  Governor  Rob- 
inson of  Kansas  at  the  Emigrant  Aid  rooms. 
Spent  most  of  the  forenoon  with  him.  He 
has  resigned  his  office,  and  the  plan  is  to 
give  Governor  Geary,  now  a  United  States 
official,  the  popular  vote,  and  so  help  on 
the  '  Free  State  '  movement.  Bought  a  fur 
coat  for  Robinson.  Met  Captain  Brown  ; 
he  is  trying  to  raise  a  company  to  be  ready 
in  any  emergency  that  may  arise  in  Kansas. 
He  looks  a  little  thinner  than  when  he  went 
to  Kansas  with  his  sons.  He  fought  the 
Missourians  at  Osawatomie  in  such  a  style 
as  struck  terror  into  the  whole  body  of 
marauders.  To  Professor  Longfellow's  in 
Cambridge  with  my  wife  and  Mary.  A 
party  mostly  of  young  people.  Played  whist 
with  Mr.  Nathan  Appleton,  Mrs.  Lothrop 
Motley,  and  Sarah.  Home  at  half  past  ten, 
very  cold.  Deep  drifts  on  the  cross  roads, 
Cambridge. 

"  7.  Very  cold.  Busy  with  Governor  Rob- 
inson in  forenoon.  Captain  John  Brown, 
the  old  partisan  hero  of  Kansas  warfare, 
came  to  see  me.  I  had  a  long  talk  with 
him.  He  is  a  calm,  temperate,  and  pious 
man,  but  when  roused  he  is  a  dreadful  foe. 
He  appears  about  sixty  years  old.'' 


JOHN  BROWN.  125 

Friends  of  Brown  were  collecting  money 
for  him,  and  to  them  Mr.  Lawrence  wrote :  — 

GENTLEMEN,  —  Inclosed  please  find  twen- 
ty-five dollars  toward  the  fund  for  the  brave 
Captain  John  Brown,  who  may  appropri- 
ately be  called  the  "  Miles  Standish "  of 
Kansas.  Few  persons  know  the  character  of 
this  man,  or  his  services ;  and  he  is  the  last 
one  to  proclaim  his  merits.  His  severe  sim- 
plicity of  habits,  his  determined  energy,  his 
heroic  courage  in  the  time  of  trial,  all  based 
on  a  deep  religious  faith,  make  him  a  true 
representative  of  the  Puritanic  warrior.  I 
knew  him  before  he  went  to  Kansas,  and 
have  known  more  of  him  since,  and  should 
esteem  the  loss  of  his  services,  from  pov- 
erty, or  any  other  cause,  almost  irreparable. 
Perhaps  there  are  those  who  would  come 
forward  and  support  his  family  while  he 
gives  his  time  to  completing  and  keeping  up 
the  military  organization  of  the  Free  State 
men.  It  would  afford  me  pleasure  to  be 
one  of  ten,  or  a  smaller  number,  to  pay  a 
thousand  dollars  per  annum  till  the  admis- 
sion of  Kansas  into  the  Union,  for  this  pur- 
pose. A.  A.  L. 


126  AMOS  A.   LAWRENCE. 

The  day  after  Brown's  speech  before  the 
committee  Mr.  Lawrence  inclosed  seventy 
dollars  to  him,  saying,  "  It  is  for  your  own 
personal  use,  and  not  for  the  cause  in  any 
other  way  than  that." 

Soon  after,  Mr.  Lawrence  received  this 
letter  written  on  the  back  of  one  of  John 
Brown's  "  Circulars  to  the  Friends  of  Free- 
dom." 

NEW  HAVEN,  CONN.,  March  11,  1857. 

DEAE  SIR,  —  The  offer  you  so  kindly 
made  through  the  telegraph  some  time  since 
emboldens  me  to  propose  the  following  for 
your  consideration.  For  one  thousand  dol- 
lars cash  I  am  offered  an  improved  piece 
of  land  which  with  a  little  property  I  now 
have  might  enable  my  family,  consisting  of  a 
wife  and  five  minor  children  (the  youngest 
not  yet  three  years  old),  to  procure  a  sub- 
sistence should  I  never  return  to  them  ;  my 
wife  being  a  good  economist,  and  a  real  old- 
fashioned  business  woman.  She  has  gone 
through  the  two  past  winters  in  our  open 
cold  house,  unfinished  outside,  and  not  plas- 
tered. I  have  no  other  income  or  means 
for  their  support.  I  have  never  hinted  to 
any  one  else  that  I  had  a  thought  of  asking 
for  any  help  to  provide  in  any  such  way  for 


JOHN  BROWN.  127 

my  family,  and  should  not  to  you,  but  for 
your  own  suggestion.  I  fully  believe  I  shall 
get  the  help  I  need  to  operate  with  West. 
Last  night  a  private  meeting  of  some  gen- 
tlemen here  voted  to  raise  me  one  thousand 
dollars  in  New  Haven,  for  that  purpose.  If 
you  feel  at  all  inclined  to  encourage  me  in 
the  measure  I  have  proposed  I  shall  be 
grateful  to  get  a  line  from  you,  care  of 
Massasoit  House,  Springfield,  Mass. ;  and 
will  call  when  I  come  again  to  Boston.  I 
do  not  feel  disposed  to  weary  you  with  my 
oft-repeated  visitations.  I  believe  I  am  in- 
debted to  you  as  the  unknown  giver  of  one 
share  of  Emigrant  Aid  stock  ;  as  I  can  think 
of  no  other  so  likely  to  have  done  it.  Is  my 
appeal  right  ? 

Very  respectfully  your  friend, 

JOHN  BROWN. 

To  this  Mr.  Lawrence  answered  :  — 

BOSTON,  March  20,  1857. 

MY  DEAR  SIR,  —  Your  letter  from  New 
Haven  is  received.  I  have  just  sent  to  Kan- 
sas nearly  fourteen  thousand  dollars  to  es- 
tablish a  fund  to  be  used  :  1.  To  secure  the 
best  system  of  common  schools  for  Kansas 
that  exists  in  the  country.  2.  To  establish 
Sunday-schools. 


128  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

The  property  is  held  by  two  trustees  in 
Kansas,  and  cannot  return  to  me.  On  this 
account,  and  because  I  am  always  short  of 
money,  I  have  not  the  cash  to  use  for  the 
purpose  you  name.  But  in  case  anything 
should  occur  while  you  are  engaged  in  a 
good  cause,  to  shorten  your  life,  you  may  be 
assured  that  your  wife  and  children  shall  be 
cared  for  more  liberally  than  you  now  pro- 
pose. The  family  of  "  Captain  John  Brown 
of  Osawatomie  "  will  not  be  turned  out  to 
starve  in  this  country,  until  liberty  herself  is 
driven  out. 

Yours  with  regard,  A.  A.  L. 

He  immediately  drew  up  this  subscription 
paper  and  headed  it  with  the  names  of  his 
brother  and  himself  :  — 

"  The  family  of  Captain  John  Brown  of 
Osawatomie  has  no  means  of  support,  owing 
to  the  oppression  to  which  he  has  been  sub- 
jected in  Kansas  Territory.  It  is  proposed 
to  put  them  (his  wife  and  five  children)  in 
possession  of  the  means  of  supporting  them- 
selves as  far  as  possible  for  persons  in  their 
situation.  The  undersigned,  therefore,  will 
pay  the  following  sums,  provided  one  thou- 
sand dollars  shall  be  raised.  With  this  sum 


JOHN  BROWN.  129 

a  small  farm  can  be  now  purchased  in  the 
neighborhood  of  their  late  residence  in  Es- 
sex County,  New  York." 

But  Brown  was  anxious  to  have  his  affairs 
settled  and  his  family  provided  for,  as  his  life 
was  always  in  danger.  So  in  a  few  days  he 
sent  this  letter  of  urgency  to  Mr.  Lawrence  : 

SPRINGFIELD,  MASS.,  April  16,  1857. 
DEAR  SIR,  —  I  expect  to  leave  these  parts 
within  four  or  five  days,  and  would  be  most 
grateful  for  the  proceeds  of  the  subscription 
you  so  generously  started  for  me,  so  that  I 
may  effect  the  arrangement  before  I  part 
with  my  family.  I  am  sorry  to  burden  you 
with  any  of  my  wants,  but  I  must  cast  my- 
self on  those  most  kind.  Please  direct  to 
John  (not  Captain)  Brown,  care  of  Massasoit 
House,  Springfield,  Mass.  Please  say  to  me 
what  is  the  fate  of  the  subscription  at  any 
rate,  and  greatly  oblige  your  sincere  friend. 
Very  respectfully  yours, 

JOHN  BROWN. 

After  a  few  months  the  sum  was  made  up 
with  the  aid  of  Mr.  George  L.  Stearns  and 
a  few  other  friends  of  Brown  and  the  farm 
at  North  Elba,  where  his  widow  lived  for 
several  years,  was  paid  for. 


130  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

In  the  mean  time  Brown  had  started  for 
Kansas,  followed  by  a  letter  from  Mr.  Law- 
rence to  Governor  Robinson,  in  which  he 
said :  "  Old  Brown  (John  Brown)  will  be 
your  humble  servant  and  an  efficient  one, 
but  he  requires  some  coaxing  as  well  as  some 
controlling  power  near  him." 

In  this  Mr.  Lawrence  reckoned  without 
his  host. 

Two  years  later,  May  28,  1859,  Mr.  Law- 
rence recorded  in  his  journal,  "  Captain  John 
Brown  of  Osawatomie  called  to  see  me 
with  one  of  his  rangers.  He  has  been  steal- 
ing negroes  and  running  them  off  from  Mis- 
souri. He  has  a  monomania  on  that  sub- 
ject. I  think,  and  would  be  hanged  if  he  were 
taken  in  a  slave  State.  He  has  allowed  his 
beard  to  grow  since  I  saw  him  last,  which 
changes  his  appearance  entirely,  as  it  is  al- 
most white  and  very  long.  He  and  his  com- 
panion both  have  the  fever  and  ague,  some- 
what, probably  a  righteous  visitation  for  their 
fanaticism." 

In  the  following  October  the  country, 
which  was  in  a  sensitive  frame  of  mind,  was 
startled  by  the  news  of  the  attack  on  Har- 
per's Ferry  and  the  attempt  to  arouse  a 
slave  insurrection  ;  and  then  occurred  the 


JOHN  BROWN.  131 

trial  of  "  Old  Brown,"  who  by  his  courage 
and  evident  sincerity  won  the  admiration  of 
millions  who  condemned  his  methods.  The 
journal  of  Mr.  Lawrence  at  this  time  runs  : 

"  October  18.  The  telegraph  gives  an  ac- 
count of  an  attempt  at  insurrection  among 
the  negroes  at  Harper's  Ferry  under  the 
head  of  my  Kansas  acquaintance,  '  Old  Cap- 
tain John  Brown  of  Osawatomie.'  The 
old  man  has  become  a  desperate  abolitionist, 
and  hates  the  slaveholders  the  more  because 
he  believes  that  they  are  responsible  as  a 
class  for  the  death  of  one  of  his  sons  and 
the  imprisonment  and  insanity  of  another." 

"  21.  Cold.  Henry  Wilson  came  to  see 
me  about  Brown.  He  thinks  it  will  have  a 
very  bad  effect  on  the  Republican  party ; 
thinks  all  such  attempts  must  fail  always. 
Brown's  conversations  are  all  given  in  the 
newspapers  by  telegraph.  He  is  a  brave 
man,  and  if  he  is  hanged  he  will  die  a  mar- 
tyr to  his  hatred  of  slavery." 

"  24.  G.  L.  Stearns  came  at  my  request. 
He  told  me  that  the  rifles  were  the  lot  which 
were  turned  over  to  '  Old  Brown '  by  the 
National  Committee ;  he  did  not  suppose  that 
they  would  be  used  for  an  insurrection,  but 
only  to  defend  the  Kansas  settlers." 


132  AMOS  A.  LAWJtENCE. 

"26.  Dr.  Samuel  G.  Howe  came  to  ask 
me  if  I  would  be  one  of  ten  to  furnish  good 
counsel  to  defend  '  Old  Brown,'  to  which  I 
agreed." 

"  November  1.  The  newspapers  are  full  of 
Old  Brown  and  his  trial.  He  carries  himself 
wonderfully  well.  He  scorns  the  plea  of  in- 
sanity which  was  set  up  by  his  counsel." 

"  5.  Old  Brown  convicted.  He  made  a 
brief  speech  that  was  worthy  of  the  best  of 
the  early  reformers.  To-day  I  was  told  that 
his  wife  was  in  Boston,  and  I  went  with  Dr. 
Webb  to  the  American  House  to  see  her. 
She  appears  well.  She  is  a  large,  strong 
woman,  good-looking,  and  when  young  she 
must  have  been  handsome.  She  feels  the 
loss  of  her  two  sons  and  the  critical  situation 
of  her  husband  very  much.  She  says  that 
it  is  a  matter  of  religious  conviction  with 
her  husband  ;  that  he  would  make  the  same 
attempt  again  if  set  free.  I  admire  the  old 
man ;  but  considering  that  three  persons 
were  killed  by  his  party,  I  do  not  see  how 
he  can  escape  death,  even  had  the  occurrence 
been  in  a  free  State.  He  will  be  lauded  by 
the  abolitionists  as  a  martyred  hero,  and  he 
does  resemble  that.  His  death  will  hasten 
the  removal  of  slaves  from  Virginia." 


JOHN  BROWN.  133 

"  22.  Rain-storm.  The  excitement  in 
Virginia  is  very  great ;  the  fear  of  insurrec- 
tion and  all  kinds  of  fear." 

"  25.  Looked  over  the  report  of  the  com- 
mittee of  Congress  which  went  to  Kansas  in 
1856  to  investigate  the  troubles  there.  I 
did  this  in  order  to  ascertain  whether  John 
Brown  committed  murder  at  Pottawatomie 
Creek  in  May,  1856.  The  affidavits  show 
that  a  party  which  he  commanded  did  take 
five  men  from  their  houses  at  night  on  the 
24th  of  May,  1856,  and  murdered  them  at 
once.  These  were  pro-slavery  men,  and  they 
were  killed  when  there  was  danger  that  the 
Missourians  would  get  possession  of  the  gov- 
ernment of  Kansas." 

"  29.  Great  preparations  for  hanging 
Brown.  Two  thousand  troops  in  barracks 
to  prevent  any  attempt  at  rescue." 

"  December  3.  Old  Brown  hanged  with 
great  ceremony.  He  died  grandly.  Never- 
theless he  must  be  called  a  fanatic.  De- 
clined to  sign  a  call  for  expressing  adher- 
ence to  the  Union,  not  being  conscious  that 
I  have  ever  done  or  said  anything  to  endan- 
ger the  Union,  and  not  wishing  to  certify  my 
adherence  to  the  Union  very  often  for  the 
benefit  of  politicians." 


134  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

"  5.  Declined  to  serve  as  vice-president 
of  the  Union  meeting  at  Faneuil  Hall,  be- 
cause I  do  not  wish  to  help  the  Democrats. 

"  6.  Storm.  Agreed  to  be  at  Faneuil 
Hall  and  act  as  an  officer  of  the  meeting. 
Public  meeting  at  Faneuil  HaD.  A  grand 
affair.  The  crowd  was  very  great  even  on 
the  outside.  Ex-Governor  Lincoln  presided. 
Though  over  eighty  years  old  he  appeared 
well.  Mr.  Everett  spoke  as  well  as  I  ever 
heard  him.  Then  Caleb  Gushing.  The 
enthusiasm  was  tremendous  whenever  the 
Union  was  alluded  to.  The  Democrats  will 
try  to  make  something  of  it." 

"11.  Old  John  Brown  was  buried  at 
North  Elba  in  New  York  near  his  own 
house.  A  favorite  tune  of  his  was  '  Blow  ye 
the  trumpet,  blow.'  This  was  sung  by  the 
neighbors." 

On  the  second  day  of  Brown's  trial  Mr. 
Lawrence  wrote  to  Governor  Wise  of  Vir- 
ginia :  — • 

BOSTON,  October  26,  1859. 

DEAR  SIR,  —  From  the  telegraphic  re- 
port of  the  trial  of  Captain  Brown  it  appears 
to  be  uncertain  whether  he  will  have  a  trial 
in  the  usual  form.  Permit  one  who  loves 
the  whole  country  as  much  as  yourself  to 


JOHN  BROWN.  135 

urge  on  you  the  necessity  of  securing  this. 
Brown  is  a  Puritan  whose  mind  has  become 
disordered  by  hardship  and  illness.  He  has 
the  qualities  which  endear  him  to  our  peo- 
ple, and  his  sudden  execution  would  send  a 
thrill  of  horror  through  the  whole  North. 
From  his  blood  would  spring  an  army  of 
martyrs,  all  eager  to  die  in  the  cause  of  hu- 
man liberty.  I  am  sure  that  I  express  the 
desire  of  all  conservative  men  here,  when  I 
beg  you  to  insist  on  a  fair  trial. 
Respectfully  and  truly, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

A.  A.  L. 

Soon  after  the  trial  he  wrote  to  Governor 
Robinson,  "  If  they  hang  Old  Brown,  Vir- 
ginia will  be  a  free  State  sooner  than  they 
expect.  He  has  played  his  part  grandly, 
though  the  plot  of  the  play  is  a  poor  one." 

The  evidence  at  his  trial  brought  out  the 
facts  that  Brown  had  been  planning  his  raid 
for  months,  that  money  which  had  been 
given  him  for  Kansas  had  been  appropri- 
ated for  this  scheme,  and  that  he  had  sur- 
reptitiously gained  possession  of  the  rifles 
which  Mr.  Lawrence  had  bought  of  the 
Sharps  Company  for  use  in  Kansas,  and 


136  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

which  were  at  that  time  held  in  trust  by  the 
Kansas  National  Committee. 

The  result  was  that  though  Brown  had 
confided  his  scheme  to  a  few  of  his  aboli- 
tionist friends,  the  Southern  politicians  had 
an  opportunity,  which  they  used  with  effect, 
of  drawing  into  the  affair  the  names  of 
many  men  who  had  assisted  Brown  at  other 
times. 

On  this  account  Mr.  Lawrence  wrote  this 
letter  to  Senator  Jefferson  Davis  :  — 

BOSTON,  December  22,  1859. 

DEAR  Sin,  —  I  am  sorry  to  see,  by  a  re- 
ported speech  of  yours,  that  you  are  among 
those  who  have  been  duped  by  vile  fellows 
who  believe  that  a  large  number  of  decent 
men  in  this  part  of  the  country  are  impli- 
cated in  the  affair  of  Harper's  Ferry. 
Among  other  names  I  find  my  own,  and  I 
am  the  person  alluded  to  as  a  cotton  specu- 
lator who  employed  Brown  to  do  his  work. 
To  show  you  how  absurd  this  whole  plan  of 
libel  will  appear  when  it  is  examined,  I  will 
state  my  own  case. 

1st.  I  am  the  son  of  Amos  Lawrence, 
now  deceased,  whom  you  knew,  and  who 
brought  me  up  to  be  a  "  national  "  man,  as 


JOHN  BROWN.  137 

we  understand  that  term.  2d.  I  have  been 
so  decided  in  my  own  opposition  to  the  for- 
mation of  sectional  parties,  that  those  who 
voted  for  Fillmore  in  Massachusetts,  in 
1856,  nominated  me  for  governor,  but  I  de- 
clined. They  have  requested  me  to  be  a 
candidate  every  year  since  that,  and  last 
year  I  did  run  against  Mr.  Banks.  3d. 
Though  largely  interested  in  cotton  facto- 
ries as  a  shareholder,  I  never  owned  a  bale 
of  cotton  in  my  life,  and  never  had  any  busi- 
ness with  any  person  whom  I  knew  as  a 
speculator  in  cotton.  Some  years  ago  I 
took  a  great  interest  in  our  people  who  set- 
tled in  Kansas,  many  of  whom  went  from 
Lowell  and  Lawrence  with  their  families. 
They  were  shockingly  abused,  and  if  it  were 
not  for  my  wife  and  seven  children  at  home, 
I  would  have  taken  a  more  active  part  in 
that  business.  But  that  has  passed  long 
ago ;  it  did  not  induce  me  to  join  the  Re- 
publicans, though  it  did  most  of  my  friends. 
I  took  part  with  Mr.  William  Appleton 
and  my  relative  Mr.  F.  Pierce  in  the  Fan- 
euil  Hall  meeting  here  the  other  day,  and 
with  most  of  our  people  am  called  a  "  hun- 
ker," and  even  in  Mississippi  should  be  a 
law  and  order  man.  You  will  do  me  a 


138  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

favor,  if  you  will   prevent  my  being  sum- 
moned to  Washington  on  so  foolish  an  er- 
rand as  to  testify  about  Harper's  Ferry. 
Respectfully  and  truly  yours, 

A.  A.  L. 

When  in  1879  the  confession  of  one  of 
Brown's  Pottawatomie  party  brought  out 
into  clearer  light  than  ever  before  the  brutal 
midnight  attack  on  the  Doyles  and  the  al- 
most savage  methods  of  Brown's  humanity, 
Mr.  Lawrence  became  more  firmly  convinced 
in  his  early  opinion  that  Brown's  career  was 
that  of  an  earnest  heroic  spirit  who,  brooding 
over  the  wrongs  of  slavery  and  the  death  of 
his  sons  in  the  cause  of  freedom,  had  de- 
veloped a  monomania  which  regarded  no 
law,  provided  only  that  his  purpose  was 
accomplished  in  his  own  way. 


IX. 

POLITICS   AND   PERSONAL. 
1856-1861. 

His  Kansas  experience  did  not  move  Mr. 
Lawrence  from  his  hunkerish  sympathies  in 
politics.  He  still  felt  that  the  great  danger 
to  the  Union  was  the  encouragement  of  sec- 
tional spirit.  In  criticising  an  anti-slavery 
resolve,  he  said :  "  By  assuming  that  the 
honor  and  virtue  and  patriotism  of  the 
country  are  concentrated  in  the  free  States, 
or  that  these  qualities  largely  preponderate 
here,  we  place  ourselves  in  a  position  which 
we  cannot  maintain,  and  we  cherish  that 
sectional  exclusiveness  and  that  love  of  sec- 
tional power  which  is  more  dangerous  to  our 
national  existence  and  to  the  true  interests 
of  liberty  than  anything  else. 

The  elections  of  Sumner  and  then  of  Wil- 
son to  the  Senate  seemed  to  him  little  less 
than  calamities.  Though  the  trimming  pol- 
icy of  the  Whig  Representatives  in  Congress 


140  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

gave  him  but  little  satisfaction,  yet  the  Ab- 
olitionist and  Republican  policies  were  far 
more  dangerous. 

His  patriotism  led  him  to  take  an  active 
interest  in  the  strengthening  of  the  conser- 
vative party,  but  he  disliked  to  be  drawn 
into  political  associations.  "  I  can  do  noth- 
ing here,"  he  wrote  to  a  friend  at  Washing- 
ton, "  without  going  into  state  politics,  a 
dirty  pool,  but  not  easy  to  keep  out  of 
always.  The  leaders  of  the  American  party 
are  neither  my  friends  nor  acquaintances." 
But  the  fact  that  he  was  a  conservative  and 
had  at  the  same  time  been  so  active  in 
attacking  the  slave  power  in  Kansas  made 
him  an  available  candidate  for  the  party 
which  was  struggling  in  vain  to  hold  the 
Whig  and  Republican  elements  together. 
The  result  was  that,  in  1856,  he  was  nomi- 
nated by  the  "  Americans  "  for  governor, 
although  he  had  already  declined  the  nomi- 
nation of  the  Springfield  Convention  as  a 
Fremont  presidential  elector. 

Believing  that  his  acceptance  of  the  nom- 
ination from  those  parties  would  discourage 
his  friends  in  Kansas,  he  felt  justified  in  de- 
clining. It  was  just  at  this  time  that  Mr. 
Sumner  was  recovering  from  the  assault  upon 


POLITICS  AND  PERSONAL.  141 

him  by  Brooks  in  the  Senate,  which  sent 
such  a  shock  through  the  country  at  what 
was  considered  a  typical  blow  of  slavery, 
brutal  and  cowardly.  As  the  assault  had 
been  made  on  account  of  Mr.  Sumner's 
speech  on  "  The  Crime  against  Kansas,"  Mr. 
Lawrence,  in  spite  of  his  strong  antipathy 
to  Mr.  Sumner's  general  policy,  wrote  this 
invitation  :  — 

COTTAGE  FARM,  BKOOKLINB,  October  10,  1856. 

MY  DEAR  SIR,  —  Having  been  informed 
that  you  contemplate  making  a  visit  to  Bos- 
ton, and  knowing  how  difficult  it  will  be  for 
you  to  avoid  the  fatigue  and  excitement 
which  must  attend  your  stay  within  the  city, 
I  beg  to  offer  you  a  home  at  my  house. 

You  may  prefer  to  be  with  some  one  of 
those  who  agree  with  you  in  regard  to  party 
politics,  and  you  will  without  doubt  have 
many  invitations  from  nearer  and  dearer 
friends  than  I  am  ;  but  I  assure  you  that  no 
one  will  give  you  a  more  cordial  welcome. 
With  much  regard,  yours  truly, 

A.  A.  L. 

It  seems  hardly  credible  to-day  that  for 
this  act  of  hospitality  Mr.  Lawrence  met 


142  AMOS  A.   LAWRENCE. 

with  criticism  from  politicians,  and  felt 
obliged  to  write  to  Professor  Longfellow, 
"  Mr.  Sumner's  speech  on  the  '  Kansas 
Crime '  alone  entitles  him  to  the  gratitude 
of  every  man  who  has  an  American  heart, 
whatever  may  be  his  politics.  He  will 
always  have  mine,  and  shall  be  welcome  to 
my  house  as  long  as  I  have  one." 

The  return  of  Mr.  Sumner  to  Boston  was 
accompanied  by  an  enthusiasm  that  sug- 
gested a  popular  sympathy  with  him  if  not 
also  with  his  political  principles.  Mr.  Law- 
rence recalls  the  reception  :  — 

"November  3.  The  newspapers  advertise 
Mr.  Sumner's  reception  to  take  place  to-day : 
that  he  will  be  received  by  a  committee  at 
my  house,  thence  taken  to  Boston,  where  he 
will  be  received  at  the  Roxbury  line  by  the 
Mayor  and  city  authorities  and  a  cavalcade 
of  citizens,  and  an  address  to  be  made  to 
him  by  Josiah  Quincy,  Sen.  (eighty-six  years 
old),  thence  to  the  state  house,  where  he 
will  be  welcomed  by  the  Governor. 

"  I  went  to  Boston  as  usual.  Came  out 
at  one.  Found  Mr.  Sumner  here,  with  Mr. 
Longfellow,  Rev.  Dr.  Huntington,  Dr.  Perry, 
his  physician,  and  his  brother  George. 

"  He  lunched,  conversed  with  a  reporter  for 


POLITICS  AND  PERSONAL.  143 

the  press,  and  gave  him  his  speech  in  manu- 
script, after  which  I  sent  the  reporter  to 
town.  He  appears  well  when  sitting,  but  is 
feeble  when  standing.  I  gave  him  a  parlor 
to  himself,  and  shut  him  up  to  avoid  fatigue 
and  enable  him  to  prepare  his  speeches.  He 
was  here  an  hour  and  a  half.  I  gave  him 
some  wine  before  starting,  then  delivered 
him  over  to  the  committee,  who  were  in 
barouches.  They  had  reserved  a  seat  for  me 
by  the  side  of  Mr.  Sumner,  but  I  declined 
to  go.  I  thought  the  committee  were  disap- 
pointed, and  also  at  seeing  a  Fillmore  flag 
flying  at  the  side  of  my  house.  But  they 
had  told  me  the  reception  was  to  be  with- 
out distinction  of  party,  and  I  took  them  on 
their  own  ground.  After  dinner  I  drove  to 
town  with  Sarah  and  the  children.  Saw  the 
procession  from  Mr.  Appleton's.  A  long 
cavalcade,  music,  then  carriages  with  Mr. 
Sumner  and  his  friends." 

Again  in  1858  he  was  induced  to  lead  a 
forlorn  hope.  He  wrote  to  Governor  Robin- 
son of  Kansas :  — 

July  24,  1858. 

I  am  under  the  harrow  again  in  regard 
to  politics,  and  do  not  see  any  way  of  escape. 
If  put  up  to  run  against  Mr.  Banks,  I  shall 


144  AMOS  A.   LAWRENCE. 

be  beaten  soundly.  If  for  Congress,  I  might 
be  successful ;  but  it  would  be  like  cutting 
off  my  right  hand  to  leave  my  wife  and 
seven  children  (one  recently),  my  business 
and  all,  to  go  to  Washington.  Without 
any  desire  to  shirk  the  responsibility  which 
every  good  citizen  ought  to  be  willing  to 
assume,  I  am  distressed  beyond  measure. 
If  it  were  not  for  making  myself  ridiculous 
I  would  join  the  red-hot  Republicans  (who 
have  many  candidates)  and  so  get  rid  of  the 
difficulty. 

In  1859  he  would  not  allow  his  name  to 
be  used ;  but  at  the  time  of  the  great  pres- 
idential election  in  1860  he  had,  as  four 
years  before,  thrown  himself  with  great 
earnestness  into  the  effort  to  unite  the  con- 
servative elements  of  the  different  parties 
and  to  ward  off  the  danger  of  disunion  by 
the  development  of  the  National  Union 
party.  In  March,  his  journal  records,  "  For 
several  days  I  have  been  very  much  occupied, 
having,  in  addition  to  my  other  pursuits, 
taken  up  the  project  of  forming  a  party  of 
conciliation  in  the  country.  '  Blessed  are 
the  peacemakers '  is  one  of  the  promises.  I 
have  written  a  great  many  letters  to  influ- 


POLITICS  AND  PERSONAL.  145 

ential  men  throughout  the  State,  ex-gov- 
ernors and  others,  and  have  engaged  in 
bringing  together  a  convention  on  the  29th. 
Besides  this,  for  several  weeks  I  have  em- 
ployed agents  to  form  '  Union  '  clubs  in  the 
towns  and  cities.  It  is  a  work  of  great 
labor,  and  I  have  no  idea  whether  it  will 
not  appear  a  quixotic  effort  after  all ;  it  cer- 
tainly will  be  so  regarded  if  it  fails." 

It  took  but  a  few  weeks  to  show  that  the 
sentiment  of  Massachusetts  had  passed  far 
beyond  the  platform  of  the  Union  party. 
But  as  the  success  of  one  of  the  other  par- 
ties seemed  to  forebode  disunion  or  war, 
loyalty  to  the  Union  kept  a  few  thousand 
men  together.  Other  candidates  like  Mr. 
Lawrence  declined  to  be  offered  as  a  sacri- 
fice, but  at  the  convention  he  was  pressed 
to  yield  his  own  preference,  and  after  the 
nomination  he  went  home,  feeling,  as  he  re- 
corded in  his  journal,  "  better  for  having 
done  my  duty."  The  only  other  consolation 
that  he  received  is  found  in  the  last  sentence 
of  this  letter  from  his  friend  and  classmate, 
E.  Rockwood  Hoar  :  — 

CONCORD,  September  13,  1860. 

MY  DEAR  AMOS,  —  Considering,  as  you 
say,  the  state  of  the  weather,  the  news  from 


146  AMOS  A.   LAWRENCE. 

Maine,  and  the  prospects  of  your  party,  I 
admire  your  pluck. 

I  hope  you  will,  some  time  or  other  be- 
fore you  die,  belong  to  some  respectable  or- 
ganization, having  some  definite  principles, 
so  that  I  can  vote  for  you. 

In  the  mean  time,  I  congratulate  your  lit- 
tle squad  on  having  a  candidate  who  is  nei- 
ther "  for  sale  or  to  let." 

Very  truly  yours, 

E.  R.  HOAR. 

His  strong  political  feeling  did  not  affect 
his  personal  regard  for  others,  for  at  the 
same  time  that  he  was  working  for  the  over- 
throw of  Sumner's  and  Wilson's  policy,  he 
was  writing  to  a  fellow-member  of  the  cor- 
poration of  Harvard  College  that  it  was 
high  time  that  Mr.  Sumner  be  given  the 
degree  of  LL.  D.,  and  he  was  also  lending 
small  sums  of  money  to  Mr.  Wilson,  who 
was  as  conscientious  in  the  payment  of  his 
smallest  debts  as  he  was  honest  in  all  his 
financial  relations  with  the  government. 

During  these  years  from  1856  to  1861 
Mr.  Lawrence  followed  the  happy  routine 
of  his  private  and  business  life. 


POLITICS  AND  PERSONAL.  147 

After  removing  to  Longwood,  in  1850, 
with  two  daughters  and  two  sons,  three 
more  daughters  were  born,  so  that  by  1858 
the  voices  of  seven  children  filled  the  house. 

His  position  as  president  of  the  trustees 
of  Groton  Academy  called  him  back  at  in- 
tervals to  the  old  homestead,  where  in  the 
barn,  down  at  the  meadow,  or  in  the  apple 
orchard  and  beside  the  cider  press  he  re- 
newed his  old  associations.  He  enjoyed 
nothing  more  than  a  call  upon  his  old  pen- 
sioner, "Uncle  Oliver,"  whom  he  always 
kept  supplied  with  tobacco,  snuff,  and  other 
more  useful  though  no  better  appreciated 
articles ;  or  he  would  sit  and  talk  for  an 
hour  or  more  in  the  cabin  which  he  pro- 
vided for  the  old  negro  nurse,  "  Peter,"  who 
used  to  sing  his  negro  melodies  to  Mr.  Law- 
rence when,  as  a  motherless  child,  he  lived 
upon  the  old  farm.  Writing  to  his  aunt  he 
said,  "  Good  New  England  living  ought  to 
be  encouraged  by  every  head  of  a  New  Eng- 
land family,  and  at  our  house  we  always 
hope  to  have  it.  Apples  and  cider  compose 
an  important  element.  Of  the  last  we  crack 
365  bottles  in  a  year,  and  I  only  hope  my 
children  will  drink  nothing  stronger  during 
their  lives.  They  surely  can  have  nothing 
better." 


148  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

His  morning  ride  on  horseback  from 
Longwood  to  Boston,  often  covering  eight 
miles  about  the  country  before  getting  to  his 
office  at  nine  o'clock,  his  return  in  the  after- 
noon, and  then  a  drive,  a  skate,  or  coast  with 
the  children,  or  a  game  of  quoits  with  some 
of  the  neighbors,  were  his  relaxations.  A 
few  extracts  from  his  journals  suggest  the 
tenor  of  his  life. 

"  January  4, 1858.  Rode  over  to  Jamaica 
Pond  to  see  about  skating.  Found  it  good. 
Met  the  omnibus  driver,  Mr.  Kemp,  to  whom 
I  gave  a  hundred-dollar  bank  bill  by  mis- 
take. Told  him  to  give  half  of  it  to  Duffy 
the  blacksmith  for  the  poor." 

**  April  19.  Anniversary  of  the  battle  of 
Lexington.  May  God  give  us  courage  to 
defend  the  liberty  of  the  institutions  which 
our  fathers  have  handed  down  to  us." 

"  June  19.  Last  night  a  circumstance 
reminded  me  of  the  passage  of  years.  At 
midnight  I  was  awakened  by  vocal  music 
from  under  the  trees  near  my  window.  It 
was  some  Cambridge  students.  I  could 
hardly  realize  that  these  young  men  have 
been  born  since  I  graduated.  Poor  Mary, 
for  whom  the  serenade  was  intended,  could 
not  be  awakened,  for  her  door  was  locked. 


POLITICS  AND  PERSONAL.  149 

"  This  afternoon  we  drove  down  upon  the 
Western  Avenue  to  see  the  regatta.  The 
boys  with  me  in  my  open  wagon  and  the 
girls  in  the  open  carriage.  '  The  Harvard  ' 
beat  in  the  large  boat  race." 

"  July  5.  The  boys  came  into  my  room  as 
usual,  when  they  were  dressed,  to  say  their 
prayers.  I  prayed  with  them  and  for  them, 
that  they  might  always  love  their  country, 
and  be  ready  to  suffer  and  even  to  die  in  its 
defence." 

"  August  5.  Atlantic  telegraph  laid  and 
a  message  received.  The  whole  country  is 
electrified.  Every  assembly  took  notice  of 
it.  Thanksgivings  offered  by  the  clergy." 

"  October  22.  In  riding  through  Roxbury 
I  saw  immense  placards  calling  on  'the 
friends  of  Amos  A.  Lawrence  and  Newell 
A.  Thompson '  to  be  present  at  a  great 
ratification  meeting  this  evening.  Such 
things  can  do  my  name  no  good.  I  hope 
they  will  not  result  in  any  harm  either  to 
the  name  or  to  its  owner.  No  one  will  sus- 
pect me  of  standing  as  a  candidate  this  time 
in  the  expectation  of  getting  into  office." 

"  28.  Beautiful  days.  Up  to  top  of  Co- 
rey's Hill.  Not  a  newspaper  nor  a  public 
speaker  has  abused  me.  One  of  Mr.  Banks's 


150  AMOS  A.   LAWRENCE. 

newspapers  spoke  of  me  in  complimentary 
terms  yesterday." 

"  December  13.  Rode  over  to  Jamaica 
Pond  early,  with  my  skates  in  my  pocket. 
Tied  my  horse  to  a  tree  and  skated  half  an 
hour  on  the  most  beautiful  surface  I  ever 
saw.  There  was  not  a  mark  on  the  virgin 
ice,  and  as  I  flew  over  it  I  was  reminded  of 
*  angels'  wings.'  Reached  town  at  nine. 

"  The  Salmon  Falls  Company's  account 
so  bad  that  I  have  made  an  offer  in  writing 
to  the  directors  through  the  treasurer  to  give 
up  commissions  enough  to  make  the  account 
up  to  three  per  cent,  or  $30,000." 

"  25.  Christmas.  Once  more  this  delight- 
ful day  returns,  bringing  with  it  the  grateful 
memor}7  of  a  Saviour's  birth,  and  of  his  life 
on  earth  spent  in  poverty  and  suffering  that 
He  might  bring  to  us  salvation.  There  are 
the  memories,  too,  of  those  who  have  been 
dear  to  us  in  this  world,  and  who  are  now,  as 
we  trust,  enjoying  a  better  life  in  heaven. 

"  We  had  spent  the  evening  with  the  chil- 
dren at  Mr.  Nathan  Appleton's,  where  were 
about  a  hundred  persons,  young  and  old,  rel- 
atives of  the  family  and  near  friends.  St. 
Nicholas  (little  Nathau)  came  in  during  the 
dancing,  bringing  a  large  basket  on  his 


POLITICS  AND  PERSONAL.         ^ 

back  in  which  was  a  pretty  present  for  every 
one  of  the  young  people.  Then  there  was 
supper,  and  we  returned  to  the  parlors, 
where  Mrs.  Appleton  arranged  an  old-fash- 
ioned contra-dance  and  invited  me  to  be  her 
partner,  which  I  accepted.  All  this  kept  us 
up  till  quarter  before  eleven.  But  the  chil- 
dren were  awake  in  the  morning  not  less 
early  than  usual,  feeling  for  their  stockings 
and  admiring  their  presents. 

"  We  went  to  Sunday-school  and  church. 
All  were  happy  and  I  trust  thankful.  At 
five  we  went  to  town  and  dined  at  Mr.  Wil- 
liam Appleton's,  where  there  was  another 
gathering  in  the  evening.  At  ten  we  left 
for  home,  bringing  all  at  one  trip,  nine  in- 
side the  carriage  and  myself  riding  as  foot- 
man behind.  If  their  precious  lives  are 
spared  I  would  be  content  to  ride  always 
on  the  outside.  May  God  bless  them,  and 
grant  that  they  may  never  have  cause  to 
look  back  with  sorrow  on  their  present  days 
of  innocence." 

"31.  To-day  my  partnership  with  Mr. 
Mason  is  dissolved  after  about  fifteen  years. 
Walked  to  town  against  a  driving  snow- 
storm. Stopped  at  William's  house  ;  found 
him  not  very  well.  He  is  an  invalid  not 


152  AMOS  A.   LAWRENCE. 

unfrequently,  and  sometimes  I  have  anxiety 
on  his  account.  But  I  trust  that  he  will  be 
spared  to  us.  He  is  very  dear  to  me,  as  an 
only  brother  ought  to  be.  This  night,  in 
1852,  my  dear,  good  father  went  to  heaven. 
God  grant  that  we  may  follow  him  whenever 
our  time  on  this  earth  shall  be  ended." 

"  1859.  January  10.  Cold.  "  14°  below 
zero  at  my  house.  Much  colder  elsewhere, 
especially  in  New  Hampshire  and  Vermont. 
38  in  Moutpelier  and  in  some  other  places. 
Rode  over  to  Cambridge.  Asked  a  boy 
about  a  poor  woman  who  is  dying  of  con- 
sumption. He  knew  her  and  told  me  she 
had  been  burnt  out  (of  the  old  Porter  Tav- 
ern) and  was  living  near.  He  jumped  on 
my  horse  and  rode  him  up  and  down  the  road 
while  I  went  in  and  found  the  poor  woman. 
She  was  overjoyed  at  seeing  me,  and  laughed 
and  cried  by  turns. 

"  11.  Went  over  to  see  my  poor  woman 
again." 

"May  22.  Sunday.  Across  the  fields 
with  the  children  (how  beautiful  they  are  !) 
to  Sunday-school.  With  such  company  how 
can  any  father  wish  for  any  situation  in  life 
better  than  mine :  how  can  any  one  have 
more  advantages  than  I  have?  Rev.  Dr. 


POLITICS  AND  PERSONAL.  153 

Stone  preached  two  excellent  sermons  ;  and 
at  sunset  we  enjoyed  the  sermon  of  nature 
in  the  golden  colors  of  the  sky. 

"23.  Rode  up  Corey's  Hill.  What  a 
view  !  The  country  is  clothed  with  verdure 
and  with  flowers  ;  the  trees  covered  with 
blossoms.  The  blessing  of  God  seems  to  be 
present  in  such  a  fair  scene." 

"  27.  Cricket  in  the  afternoon  in  my 
grove  with  the  children." 

"  June  11.  The  spring  is  most  beautiful. 
My  horseback  ride  in  the  morning  exhila- 
rates me  beyond  anything  which  is  not  ar- 
tificial excitement,  and  it  is  much  more  sat- 
isfactory than  any  art  can  produce.  From 
Corey's  Hill  the  view  is  wonderful." 

"  July  9.  Solferino.  Hell  on  this  beauti- 
ful earth,  and  men  turned  into  devils.  God 
grant  that  the  result  may  in  some  way  con- 
duce to  extend  his  kingdom  in  this  world  of 
fallen  men." 

"  19.  Bought  some  25-pound  dumb-bells, 
as  those  which  I  have  used  are  too  light." 

"  December  27.  Went  to  see  F.  E.  Par- 
ker and  asked  him  if  he  would  be  presi- 
dent of  Harvard  College  if  he  were  asked. 
He  was  very  much  surprised ;  said  it  seemed 
to  him  ridiculous,  but  was  too  serious  to 


154  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

answer  then.  I  told  him  that  I  could  vote 
for  him  confidently,  and  I  believed  Judge 
Hoar  would,  and  his  chance  of  election  was 
as  good  as  that  of  any  one. 

"  28.     Parker  declines." 

"July  18,  1860.  Commencement.  At 
Cambridge  at  8  in  president's  room.  Cor- 
poration there.  We  tried  on  the  President's 
new  cap.  At  ten  we  went  to  the  library. 
Soon  the  Governor  came  with  his  aids,  the 
overseers,  etc. ;  also  Mr.  Douglas,  United 
States  Senator.  Procession  moved  to  church 
with  a  band  of  music.  On  the  platform 
were  Messrs.  Sumner,  Wilson,  Banks,  Doug- 
las, all  men  of  mark.  My  class  mustered  six- 
teen ;  twenty-five  years  out  of  college.  Met 
in  a  room  near  the  church ;  pleasing  but  sad 
remembrances. 

"  19.  Inauguration  of  president  at  Cam- 
bridge. Heavy  rain  in  morning.  Went  to 
Cambridge  in  the  saddle ;  got  to  Boston 
from  there  at  half  past  nine,  wet  through. 
Home  at  two  and  changed  dress,  then  to 
Cambridge  again.  Went  up  in  the  pulpit 
where  Mr.  Felton  was  delivering  his  address 
with  great  earnestness.  The  Governor  and 
all  the  dignitaries  of  church  and  state,  in- 
cluding ex-Presidents  Everett,  Quincy,  and 


POLITICS  AND  PERSONAL.  155 

Sparks.  Mr.  Quincy  is  quite  feeble.  I 
spoke  to  him  afterwards  and  asked  him  if 
he  was  going  to  dinner  with  us,  and  he  said 
'  No,'  he  was  too  feeble.  I  fear  the  old 
gentleman  has  taken  part  for  the  last  time 
in  the  celebration  of  his  Alma  Mater. 

"  After  the  exercises  in  the  church,  we  had 
the  grand  dinner  in  Harvard  Hall ;  Henry 
Lee  with  his  twenty  marshals  managing 
everything.  I  sat  at  the  official  table,  next 
to  Dr.  Walton,  the  oldest  graduate  after 
Mr.  Quincy ;  he  is  nearly  ninety  years  old. 
Governor  Banks  spoke  exceedingly  well ;  so 
did  Rev.  Dr.  Osgood.  After  satisfying  my 
appetite,  I  went  down  and  sat  with  my 
class." 

"  August  14.  Up  at  five.  Exercise  with 
dumb-bells  and  in  other  ways.  In  afternoon 
went  with  Sarah  and  the  two  boys  to  Marion 
near  Wareham,  about  two  hours  on  the  Old 
Colony  Railroad.  Found  a  good  hotel.  In 
the  evening  I  danced  a  hornpipe  with  Judge 
Joel  Parker,  very  much  to  the  amusement  of 
my  good  wife." 

"  29.  President  Felton  came  after  his  re- 
turn from  Canada.  He  speaks  well  of  the 
Prince  of  Wales ;  says  he  should  think  he 
might  rank  number  twenty  in  a  class  of 


156  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

eighty  if  he  should  study  for  it ;  thinks  he 
has  been  well  trained." 

"  October  8.  Two  thousand  citizens  with 
torches  and  bands  of  music  assembled  from 
Boston  and  the  neighboring  towns  and  made 
me  a  visit  in  the  evening.  I  stood  in  the 
doorway  and  received  their  salutes  with  my 
wife  and  children.  I  hope  that  the  mem- 
bers of  my  family  will  not  think  more  of 
this  kind  of  applause  than  it  is  worth. 

"  26.  A  panic  at  the  South  about  Lin- 
coln's election.  There  is  no  cause  for  alarm 
from  Mr.  Lincoln,  even  if  he  had  not 
against  him  both  houses  of  Congress.  The 
effort  at  the  South  for  secession  may  pro- 
duce anxiety,  and  they  will  not  cease  im- 
mediately after  the  election,  if  Lincoln 
should  be  chosen." 

"  November  7.  Lincoln  chosen  president 
by  immense  majorities  in  almost  all  the  free 
States.  Breckinridge  comes  next  in  elec- 
toral votes ;  then  Bell,  and  Douglas  last. 
Andrew  chosen  governor  of  Massachusetts 
by  an  immense  majority." 

"  29.  Thanksgiving.  Received  notice  to 
meet  a  town  committee  on  Bradley's  Hill, 
about  buying  it.  Then  went  to  church. 
Afterwards  to  see  Henry  Upham,  who  is  un- 


POLITICS  AND  PERSONAL.  157 

well.  The  children  went  to  James  Amory's 
in  the  evening.  The  reminiscences  grow  too 
numerous  to  make  such  days  cheerful  ones, 
except  as  we  should  be  cheerful  in  approach- 
ing the  end  of  our  journey." 

"  God  bless  my  dear  ones,  and  give  them 
all  grace  to  serve  Thee  all  their  days. 
Grant  that  we  may  all  meet,  when  this  life 
is  over,  in  heaven. 

"  God  bless  my  distracted  country.  Turn 
the  hearts  of  the  people  toward  each  other 
again.  Save  us  from  disunion,  and  save  us 
from  shedding  fraternal  blood." 

From  1857  to  1860  Mr.  Lawrence  was 
treasurer  of  Harvard  College.  It  was  an 
added  duty  which  was  undertaken  out  of 
loyalty  to  the  college,  and  which  yielded  a 
good  return  in  many  pleasant  associations 
with  its  officers  and  in  a  lengthened  morning 
ride. 

"  1858.  January  21.  Over  to  Cambridge 
by  arrangement  with  President  Walker. 
Found  him  at  breakfast  (eight  o'clock),  rode 
round  to  the  unfinished  Appleton  Chapel, 
where  he  soon  met  me  and  took  me  inside. 
There  is  no  wood-work  yet  :  nothing  but 
the  bare  stone  walls.  He  described  to  me 


158  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

the  proposed  arrangement  of  the  interior, 
which  1  remarked  as  quite  like  an  Episco- 
pal church.  He  replied :  '  There  is  such 
a  thing-  as  church  architecture  ;  and  as  long 
as  we  have  undertaken  to  build  a  church  we 
may  as  well  have  a  real  one.  It  shall  not 
belong  to  any  sect.  Here  all  sects  must 
unite.' " 

The  magnetic  spirit  of  Agassiz  soon  drew 
the  interest  of  Mr.  Lawrence  towards  the 
foundation  of  the  museum. 

"  June  12.  Professor  Agassiz  came  to 
see  me  about  his  additional  salary.  He 
says  he  wishes  to  create  the  most  complete 
collection  of  natural  history  in  the  world ; 
so  that  it  shall  command  students  not  only 
from  all  parts  of  this  country,  but  from 
Europe.  I  said  to  him,  'We  shall  draw 
students  if  we  have  the  right  man,'  pointing 
to  him.  'Yes,'  he  added,  'the  man  may 
draw  students,  but  he  cannot  teach  forever. 
He  must  go  ;  and  then  if  you  have  not  some 
other  inducement,  the  students  will  go.  It 
is  such  a  collection  of  objects  as  I  will  make 
which  will  perpetuate  the  school.'  He  is  a 
frank,  hearty-looking  man." 

"  November  17.  President  Walker,  Chief 
Justice  Shaw,  Judge  G.  T.  Bigelow,  Rev. 


POLITICS  AND  PERSONAL.  159 

Dr.  Putnam,  Professors  Agassiz  and  Long- 
fellow, Messrs.  David  Sears,  W.  Appleton, 
E.  Rockwood  Hoar,  Jared  Sparks,  and  J. 
A.  Lowell  dined  here  at  four  o'clock.  They 
had  an  agreeable  meeting.  Chief  Justice 
Shaw  took  Mrs.  Lawrence  in  to  dinner, 
though  I  asked  Dr.  Walker  to  do  so ;  the 
former  (who  is  seventy-eight)  being  more 
active  than  Dr.  Walker,  who  is  lame.  The 
dinner  was  cooked  by  our  own  cook,  Marion, 
and  they  all  were  cheerful  and  even  gay; 
nor  did  they  leave  the  dining-room  until 
they  went  away.  Mr.  Agassiz  sat  next  to 
me  and  talked  all  the  time.  I  asked  him 
whether  some  anecdotes  about  him  in  the 
newspapers  to-day  were  true,  but  he  had  not 
seen  them.  Then  I  repeated  one  about  his 
replying  to  a  person  who  offered  him  a  large 
sum  for  some  lectures,  'that  he  was  too 
busy  to  waste  his  time  in  making  money ; ' 
and  this  he  pronounced  to  be  true." 

"January  21,  1859.  Evening  to  James 
Lawrence's.  Meeting  of  forty  gentlemen 
about  a  building  for  Agassiz  collection.  Mr. 
Gray  has  given  $50,000  for  increasing  and 
supporting  the  collection  already  made.  Ex- 
Governor  Clifford  in  the  chair.  Those  who 
made  remarks  were  Dr.  Walker,  Governor 


160  AMOS  A.   LAWRENCE. 

Banks,  ex-Governor  Washburn,  E.  R.  Hoar, 
Mr.  George  Ticknor,  Dr.  Gould,  Dr.  Jacob 
Bigelow,  and  myself.  But  Agassiz  made 
the  speech  of  the  evening,  very  modest  and 
characteristic  ;  all  for  the  science,  nothing 
for  himself.  Dr.  Bigelow  introduced  a  vote 
and  called  the  collection  the  '  Agassiz  Mu- 
seum,' etc.,  but  Agassiz  interrupted  him  and 
declined  decidedly.  *  Personalities,'  said  he, 
'  must  be  banished  from  science.'  r 

"  26.  Wednesday.  Company  to  dinner  at 
four.  Agassiz,  George  Ticknor,  Professor 
Felton,  Rev.  Dr.  Huutington,  Charles  Hale 
(Speaker  of  House  of  Representatives), 
Lord  Radstock,  ex  -  Governor  Washburn, 
and  some  gentlemen  from  the  legislature 
whom  I  wished  to  become  acquainted  with 
Mr.  Agassiz.  They  all  seemed  to  have  an 
agreeable  visit,  and  I  hope  it  will  help  along 
the  project  of  establishing  the  Museum  of 
Zoology  at  Cambridge.  Lord  Radstock  is 
a  young  man,  travelling  with  his  wife." 

"February  15.  Subscribed  $1,000  to 
Agassiz's  museum  in  Cambridge.  The  com- 
mittee now  have  $40,000  subscribed,  and  ex- 
pect more." 

"  April  9.  .  .  President  Walker  came  to 
see  about  the  Sanders  donation.  Before  he 


POLITICS  AND  PERSONAL.  161 

left  Mr.  Agassiz  caine  to  get  some  money  in 
advance  ;  and  at  the  same  time  Governor 
Gardner  came  about  something  else." 

o 

"  May  5.  Meeting  at  my  Court  Street 
office  of  the  committee  appointed  to  be  the 
faculty  of  the  Agassiz  Museum  :  President 
Walker,  Dr.  Jacob  Bigelow,  Dr.  O.  W. 
Holmes,  and  Mr.  Agassiz.  The  latter  is  so 
progressive  that  it  requires  all  the  tact  of 
Dr.  Walker  and  Dr.  Bigelow  to  keep  him 
in  check." 

An  interesting  photograph  of  five  presi- 
dents of  Harvard  College,  now  hanging  in 
the  college  library,  was  taken  under  the  fol- 
lowing circumstances :  — 

"  April  27,  1861.  The  President  and  ex- 
Presidents  of  Harvard  College  met  at  Whip- 
pie's  by  my  request,  to  be  photographed  to- 
gether for  the  college  library.  Messrs. 
Quincy,  Everett,  Sparks,  Walker,  and  Fel- 
ton.  We  waited  for  Mr.  Everett,  who  had 
forgotten  his  appointment,  and  had  a  great 
deal  of  talk.  Mr.  Quincy  was  very  bright 
and  earnest.  He  told  me  he  had  enjoyed 
his  life  since  he  was  seventy-four  more  than 
any  previous  part  of  it.  He  is  now  about 
ninety." 

The  pressure  for  charity  continued  at  his 


162  AM08  A.  LAWRENCE. 

office,  though,  as  he  always  remarked,  it  va- 
ried with  the  weather.  His  journal  records : 
"  December  11.  Rainy.  No  beggars.  Quiet 
day  but  busy  in  counting-room.  12.  Fine 
day.  Beggars  plenty."  For  many  years  he 
made  a  standing  offer  to  the  agents  of  char- 
itable societies  that  he  would  give  a  five- 
dollar  gold  piece  to  any  poor  person  whose 
poverty  was  not  caused  by  either  drink,  lazi- 
ness, or  bad  temper.  Experience  and  in- 
vestigation assured  him  that  there  was  no 
great  risk  in  the  offer.  A  more  genteel 
class  of  beggars  and  money  borrowers  sug- 
gested these  remarks  :  — 

"  August  1.  Fine  day.  Annoyed  by  be- 
ing forced  to  decline  several  applications  for 
money.  My  experience  leads  me  to  know 
that  the  greater  part  of  those  who  apply  for 
loans  or  for  gifts  of  money  either  live  more 
expensively  than  their  means  warrant  or 
they  are  unwilling  to  fix  themselves  down 
to  one  pursuit.  If  we  should  undertake  to 
criticise  cases,  there  would  be  found  very  few 
where  hardship  does  not  follow  bad  manage- 
ment and  where  relief  can  be  anything  but 
temporary." 

It  was  a  satisfaction  to  him  to  help  raise 
a  fund  for  Dr.  Morton  simply  as  his  thank- 


POLITICS  AND  PERSONAL.  163 

offering  for  the  "  inestimable  blessing  of 
ether."  In  such  a  special  emergency  as  the 
fall  of  the  Pemberton  Mills  he  was  quick  to 
join  with  others  in  carrying  the  paper  about. 

"  1860.  January  10.  Pemberton  Mill  at 
Lawrence  fell  down  in  one  sudden  ruin 
while  in  operation.  The  pay-roll  shows  960 
persons  employed.  While  the  multitude 
confined  in  the  ruins  were  being  dug  out,  a 
fire  started  and  finished  the  horrible  catas- 
trophe. 

"  11.  Meeting  of  fifteen  gentlemen  at  the 
Hospital  Life  office.  We  subscribed  12,000 
on  the  spot  for  the  sufferers.  Meeting  of 
the  New  England  Societies  in  afternoon. 
Voted  to  omit  the  annual  dinner  to-day  and 
added  about  $3,000  to  the  subscription. 

"  12.  Hard  at  work  collecting  money. 
Went  with  Beebe  into  State  Street.  All  of 
us  obtained  15,000  to-day." 

In  January,  1860,  Mr.  Lawrence  took  a 
short  journey  through  the  South  with  two 
nephews,  and  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing 
Southern  life  near  the  end  of  the  old  regime. 

"  February  2.  Savannah.  Drove  out  two 
miles  to  an  auction  sale  of  180  negroes. 
They  looked  serious,  and  the  girls  shed  some 
tears.  They  were  sold  in  families,  and  after 


164  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

they  were  knocked  off  I  thought  they  looked 
anxious,  and  I  noticed  that  a  mother  who 
was  sold  with  her  seven  children  sobbed 
very  much.  It  is  always  a  sad  sight." 

"  7.  Negro  dealing  is  carried  on  here  by 
*  gentlemen '  of  family  who  have  been  un- 
fortunate in  other  business." 

The  travellers  could  see  in  the  social  life 
at  the  South  no  signs  of  the  approaching  out- 
burst, for  on  arrival  at  home  Mr.  Lawrence 
wrote,  "  My  neighbors  think  I  must  have 
incurred  some  risk  in  going  to  the  South. 
How  mistaken  the  opinion  is  of  the  two  sec- 
tions of  the  country  in  regard  to  the  feel- 
ings of  each  other.  May  God  make  them 
more  friendly  and  more  emulous  and  excel 
in  promoting  the  great  cause  for  which  our 
government  was  made." 

The  year  1860  closed  under  the  shadow  of 
the  coming  struggle. 

"  December  21.  Laid  up.  Have  worked 
too  hard,  and  been  too  anxious  for  the 
Union.  South  Carolina  secedes." 

"  December  24-30.  This  has  been  a  week 
of  anxious  interest  for  the  welfare  of  our 
country.  Events  follow  in  quick  succession 
which  will  be  felt  in  our  future  history  for 
good  or  for  evil,  and  I  fear  it  will  be  the 


POLITICS  AND  PERSONAL.  165 

latter.  The  fear  and  hatred  of  the  Republi- 
cans by  the  people  of  the  South  drives  them 
forward  to  repudiate  the  government.  In 
South  Carolina  the  people  have  seized  Fort 
Moultrie  and  Fort  Pinckney  and  a  United 
States  cutter,  besides  the  custom-house  and 
other  government  property.  They  have  now 
sent  commissioners  to  Washington  to  treat 
for  a  partition  of  government  property  and 
to  make  a  treaty  with  the  United  States. 
The  President  seems  to  be  weak  in  sup- 
porting the  government,  and  even  leaning  to 
the  side  of  the  traitors.  Secretary  Cass  has 
resigned  in  disgust  with  the  favor  which  is 
shown  to  nullification  in  the  cabinet. 

"  Sunday.  May  the  Lord  spare  us  a  little 
longer,  and  humble  this  great  nation  without 
inflicting  us  with  the  shedding  of  fraternal 
blood. 

"  31.  Monday.  A  sad  day.  The  anni- 
versary of  my  dear  father's  death.  A  sad 
ending  of  one  year  in  the  history  of  my 
country ;  I  fear  the  last  year  of  our  happy 
union." 


X. 

THE  WAR. 

1861-1862. 

FROM  the  special  Fast  Day  of  January 
4,  1861,  until  the  middle  of  April,  national 
events  moved  with  great  rapidity,  but  pop- 
ular sentiment  moved  faster.  In  spite  of 
the  increasing  intensity  of  feeling  between 
the  North  and  the  South,  Congress  was  full 
of  the  talk  of  compromise  and  peace. 

It  was  not  in  the  nature  of  Mr.  Lawi-ence, 
who  loved  peace  and  had  an  over-charitable 
confidence  in  the  Southern  loyalty  to  the 
Union,  to  let  pass  any  consistent  work  for  an 
amicable  settlement.  As  one  of  a  committee 
composed  of  Edward  Everett,  Robert  C. 
Winthrop,  and  other  representatives  of  the 
conservative  elements  of  Massachusetts,  he 
went  to  Washington  with  a  petition  of 
fifteen  thousand  citizens  urging  the  passage 
by  Congress  of  the  Crittenden  compromise. 
They  were  received  by  Mr.  Buchanan,  who, 


THE  WAR.  167 

in  dressing-gown  and  slippers,  spoke  with 
great  anxiety  in  regard  to  a  collision  at  the 
South,  and  expressed  a  strong  desire  (in 
which  the  whole  North  joined)  to  be  free 
from  the  cares  of  office.  They  called  upon 
Vice-President  Breckinridge,  General  Scott, 
Mr.  Seward,  Mr.  Suinner,  and  others,  but 
the  tide  had  set  too  strong  for  any  such  ac- 
tion. Mr.  Sumner  was  too  near  the  truth 
when  he  told  the  committee  that  their  mis- 
sion "  would  be  of  no  more  use  than  a  penny 
whistle  in  a  tempest."  Having  done  his  part 
for  peace,  Mr.  Lawrence  immediately  pre- 
pared to  do  his  part  for  war. 

Two  years  before,  in  a  speech  on  Wash- 
ington's birthday,  he  had  said,  — 

"  It  was  a  theory  of  Washington,  and  it 
has  become  the  theory  and  the  practice  of 
this  government,  that  the  military  power  of 
the  country  shall  reside  in  the  people  them- 
selves ;  that,  without  a  standing  army,  every 
citizen  shall  be  accustomed  to  and  shall  be 
ready  at  all  times  to  perform  militia  service. 

"  In  accordance  with  this  theory  of  Wash- 
ington and  our  government,  it  becomes  the 
duty  of  every  citizen  to  have  a  knowledge  of 
and  to  bear  arms,  and  it  is  not  hazarding  too 
much  to  say  that  every  citizen  who  has  never 


168  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

borne  arms,  and  who  has  never  submitted  to 
the  military  drill  as  commonly  practised,  has 
not  performed  his  whole  duty,  because  he  is 
not  ready  at  all  times  to  perform  any  service 
to  which  he  may  be  called  by  his  State  or 
Country." 

Though  he  had  taken  his  part  as  a  young 
man  in  the  militia,  he  now  felt  that  the  test 
of  the  principle  had  come.  On  his  return 
from  Washington  he  threw  himself  with 
great  enthusiasm  into  the  organization  of 
drill  clubs.  In  February  he  wrote,  "  I  go 
to  drill  every  day  at  eleven  with  about  fifty 
of  various  ages."  In  March  he  added, 
"  Drill  club  in  afternoon  ;  all  in  uniform 
jackets  and  red  caps  ;  about  ninety  came  out 
and  marched  quietly  to  Boylston  Hall  (over 
Boylston  Market),  where  the  exercise  lasted 
two  hours.  I  do  the  whole  with  the  young- 
est, because  it  is  never  too  late  to  practise 
what  every  citizen  ought  to  be  familiar  with, 
and  because  a  good  example  stimulates  oth- 
ers." Though  twenty  years  older  than  most 
of  the  men,  his  activity  and  endurance  soon 
made  him  an  excellent  drill-master.  His 
journal  runs,  April  17  :  "  Find  that  I  am 
chosen  quartermaster  of  our  zouave  regiment 
proposed  to  be  formed  of  Colonel  Salignac's 


TEE  WAR.  169 

drill  club.  Advertised  to  drill  recruits  to 
the  number  of  800." 

At  his  invitation  the  zouaves  would 
march  out  to  Longwood  and  drill,  while  his 
family  supplied  barrels  of  lemonade.  By 
comparison  with  later  movements,  those 
manoeuvres  had  a  very  fresh  and  amateur 
appearance,  but  it  was  the  first  step  in 
arousing  the  soldier  spirit ;  and  among  those 
red-capped  recruits  were  many  who  a  few 
months  later  led  battalions,  regiments,  and 
brigades  into  battle. 

On  the  15th  of  April  came  the  proclama- 
tion of  the  President  calling  for  75,000  vol- 
unteers from  the  States,  and  the  same  day 
came  a  telegram  to  Governor  Andrew  to 
send  forward  1,500  men.  Popular  feeling 
had  moved  on  so  rapidly  that  it  was  more 
than  ready  to  respond.  On  hearing  of  the 
call  for  troops,  Mr.  Lawrence,  who  only  a 
few  weeks  before  had  been  urging  Mr. 
Seward  to  act  for  peace,  and  who  was  still 
hopeful  of  some  loyal  sentiment  in  the 
South,  now  wrote  him  :  — 

BOSTON,  April  1,  1861. 

DEAR  SIR,  —  Permit  a  member  of  the 
Constitutional  Union  party  to  suggest  that 


170  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

the  call  for  75,000  troops  by  the  President 
will  not  have  the  desired  effect  on  our 
friends  in  the  South  who  are  wavering 
about  secession.  If  it  were  five  times  that 
number  it  would  satisfy  all  that  the  govern- 
ment would  be  maintained,  and  I  believe 
it  would  be  responded  to  in  the  Northern 
States,  and  ultimately  in  the  Border  States. 
Respectfully  yours, 

A.  A.  L. 

Two  weeks  after  he  wrote  to  his  friend, 
Henry  Lee,  of  Governor  Andrew's  staff :  — 

BOSTON,  April  17,  1861. 

DEAR  HENRY,  —  I  don't  wish  to  court 
notoriety  by  offering  my  service  to  Governor 
Andrew,  but  shall  be  glad  to  undertake  any 
service  of  which  I  am  capable.  Therefore 
please  to  keep  an  eye  out  for  me,  where 
smart  young  chaps  are  wanted,  and  small 
pay.  Yours  truly, 

A.  A.  L. 

His  journal  suggests  the  memories  of  that 
eventful  week  :  — 

"  April  17.  The  Sixth  Regiment  muster 
in  Boston,  and  march  through  the  streets  on 


THE  WAR.  171 

their  way  to  Washington,  midst  crowds  of 
people. 

"  18.  Troops  going  off  to  Washington  in 
long  trains  of  cars  amid  great  enthusiasm." 

"  21.  Monday.  Great  town  meeting  in 
Brookline.  I  made  the  committee's  report, 
putting  the  whole  town  on  the  war  footing, 
and  appropriating  $  15,000  to  be  used  by  a 
military  committee  whom  we  named.  This 
was  adopted  with  great  excitement. 

"  22.  Thirty-five  of  my  neighbors  marched 
to  Boston  by  way  of  drill.  I  led  them  part 
way,  and  then  left  them  to  Captain  Wilder, 
as  I  was  engaged  at  Cambridge.  Great  ad- 
ditions to  drill  club,  over  400. 

"  23.  Norfolk  Navy  Yard  destroyed  by 
government  to  prevent  its  being  taken,  with 
some  of  the  finest  ships  of  the  navy. 

"  24.  Drilling  everywhere.  To  Brookline 
in  evening.  Drilled  the  townspeople  ;  the 
halls  filled. 

"  25.  Massachusetts  troops  fired  on  in 
Baltimore.  Washington  barely  saved  from 
the  revolutionists.  Troops  from  the  North 
sent  through  Annapolis.  Arthur  Lawrence 
in  North  Carolina.  Mr.  William  Appleton 
in  South  Carolina. 

"  26.  Railroad  bridges  all  broken,  north 
and  west  of  Baltimore." 


172  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

He  added  to  his  work  as  treasurer  of  the 
college  one  duty  which  gave  him  great  de- 
light. At  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning  he 
was  in  Cambridge  drilling  the  students. 
His  interest  in  them  did  not  cease  in  the 
college  yard,  but  followed  many  of  them, 
his  own  young  recruits,  into  camp,  battle,  and 
to  death  ;  and  his  love  for  them  and  devotion 
to  their  memories  prompted  him,  at  the  close 
of  the  war,  to  throw  something  of  his  old 
enthusiasm  into  the  erection  of  the  Memo- 
rial Hall.  Not  content  with  drilling  towns- 
men and  students,  he  gave  the  first  lessons 
in  the  manual  to  his  sons,  and  then  sent 
them  to  Brookline  to  join  a  boys'  company. 
In  fact,  as  he  wrote  to  his  uncle,  "We  all 
drill,  even  my  girls  belong  to  a  squad  and 
carry  arms  well." 

These  were  active  days,  as  his  journal 
testifies :  — 

"June  10.  My  daily  duties  sometimes 
press  hard.  First  I  rise  and  dress,  say  my 
own  prayers,  and  prayers  with  some  of  my 
children.  Before  seven  the  triangle  is 
struck  for  family  prayers  in  the  library. 
Breakfast  at  seven.  Lay  out  work  for  men 
afterwards.  Off  on  horseback  at  eight. 
Visit  the  contractors  who  are  building  for 


THE  WAR.  173 

me  about  here  and  the  laborers  on  the 
grounds.  Then  to  Cambridge,  oftenest  to 
look  after  new  work  or  old — just  now  the 
new  house  for  president,  and  refitting  the 
Brattle  House ;  or  to  meet  the  president 
or  steward  or  some  one  of  the  professors 
on  their  business ;  or  to  review  the  college 
'  troops.'  Then  to  Boston  by  half  past  nine. 
Here  are  all  sorts  of  business,  commercial, 
philanthropic,  political ;  besides  building  of 
three  large  stores,  and  a  carriage  factory, 
and  drilling  my  company  daily.  This  pushes 
me  hard  till  after  three,  when  I  get  on  my 
horse  again  and  reach  home  a  little  late  for 
dinner.  Then  read  the  news,  and  rest  until 
I  turn  out  to  inspect  my  garden  and  woi'k- 
men,  or  to  take  my  wife  to  drive  in  my  coun- 
try wagon.  All  assemble  at  quarter  before 
eight  o'clock  at  tea.  Children's  bed -time 
and  prayers  with  them  at  half  past  eight. 
Then  a  nap,  and  reading  or  writing  till 
eleven  or  twelve.  There  is  a  great  scarcity 
of  employment,  and  I  have  taken  about  thir- 
ty-five men  to  dig  over  my  marshes,  then  to 
haul  gravel  from  them,  then  to  cover  with 
loam,  and  sow  grass  seed." 

"  14.    Drill  in  Pemberton  Square.     Very 
hot." 


174  AMOS  A.   LAWRENCE. 

His  first  thought  was  for  the  Union  men 
in  the  border  States,  Tennessee  and  Ken- 
tucky. Those  whom  he  knew  he  urged  to 
adhere  to  the  Union.  To  Senator  Critten- 
den  of  Kentucky  he  wrote  :  "  You  can  have 
but  a  faint  idea  of  the  indignation  which 
has  seized  the  people  since  the  defeat  of  An- 
derson. Every  man  wishes  to  be  a  volun- 
teer ;  business  is  suspended ;  political  asper- 
ities have  ceased,  and  we  all  stand  as  one 
man  for  the  government.  Our  friends  in 
Kentucky  may  rely  on  it,  the  government 
will  be  sustained  and  its  seat  will  not  be 
moved  from  Washington  in  our  day.  Why, 
then,  should  not  they  stand  by  it  ?  " 

Andrew  Johnson  had  written  asking  aid 
for  the  Union  cause  in  Tennessee.  Mr. 
Lawrence  immediately  sent  $1,000,  and 
started  off  among  his  friends  with  a  sub- 
scription paper.  It  was  an  easy  time  for 
subscriptions.  "  Money  is  poured  out  like 
water.  Thirty-three  thousand  dollars  have 
been  sent  to  my  office  in  three  days  for  the 
Massachusetts  Soldiers'  Fund.  We  are 
getting  100,000  men  ready  to  go  South  in 
the  fall,  and  when  all  our  men  have  gone, 
then  old  Massachusetts  is  going  herself." 

The  question  as  to  whether  a  man  in  his 


THE  WAR.  175 

position  with  large  financial  responsibilities 
as  well  as  seven  children  should  enter  active 
service  was  continually  before  him.  In  an- 
swer to  a  request  of  Mr.  Paul  Revere  and 
Dr.  Coolidge,  to  take  command  of  a  regi- 
ment in  which  they  were  to  be  officers,  he 
wrote  :  — 

BOSTON,  July  3,  1861. 

GENTLEMEN,  —  At  a  period  like  this,  the 
present  duty  of  every  loyal  citizen  will  lead 
him  to  abandon  his  occupations  and  his  at- 
tachments for  the  public  service  whenever 
those  who  have  the  appointing  power  de- 
mand it  of  him,  but  he  is  not  to  obtrude 
himself  into  any  position  for  which  he  is 
unfitted,  nor  is  he  to  urge  his  pretensions 
for  any  position  whatever. 

With  this  view,  I  have  carefully  consid- 
ered the  proposition  which  you  have  been 
kind  enough  to  make  to  me,  and  have  only 
to  say,  that  I  shall  always  be  ready  to  make 
any  sacrifice  which  the  national  or  state 
authorities  may  require  of  me.  Though  I 
should  have  great  diffidence  in  undertaking 
military  service,  I  stand  ready  to  do  anything 
which  others  may  decide  I  can  do  well. 
Whatever  it  may  be,  I  trust  it  will  be  un- 
dertaken simply  as  a  duty,  and  without  any 


176  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

desire  for  notoriety  or  from  any  unworthy 
ambition.  Yours  with  regard, 

A.  A.  L. 

Again,  in  December,  1861,  when  Mr. 
Chase,  the  secretary  of  the  treasury,  was 
developing  a  plan  for  the  movement  to  the 
Northern  markets  of  those  Southern  staples 
that  could  be  obtained,  Mr.  Lawrence  wrote 
to  him :  "  I  have  ventured  to  offer  to  devote 
myself  to  the  government  if  I  can  render 
any  service  in  perfecting  the  details  of  your 
plan.  I  will  serve  at  any  personal  inconven- 
ience and  risk  on  any  part  of  the  Atlantic 
coast  during  the  present  winter,  and  longer 
if  necessary,  without  any  remuneration,  ex- 
cept the  payment  of  my  expenses  incurred 
in  the  transaction  of  the  business.  Having 
been  a  large  buyer  of  cotton  in  Southern 
markets  for  manufacturing  purposes,  and  a 
consigner  of  manufactured  goods  to  those 
markets,  and  having  had  charge  for  many 
years  of  large  numbers  of  free  laborers  of 
both  sexes,  in  factory  and  in  the  field,  I  feel 
competent  to  do  anything  which  can  be  done 
by  any  agent  who  would  probably  be  solic- 
ited by  the  government." 

Good  service  in  the  army  he  considered 


THE  WAR.  177 

as  an  equivalent  for  the  payment  of  small 
debts,  as  is  seen  by  this  letter  to  a  lieuten- 
ant in  the  field :  — 

DEAR   SIR,  —  We   cancel  with    pleasure 
our  demand  against  you  (1877.88)  in  consid- 
eration of  your  active  services  as  a  volunteer 
in  supporting  the  government. 
Yours  truly, 

MASON  &  LAWRENCE, 

By  A.  A.  L. 

He  offered  a  new  house  opposite  his  place 
in  Longwood  for  invalid  soldiers,  and  wrote  : 
"  I  wish  to  offer  my  own  services  as  steward, 
and  those  of  my  wife  and  family  for  any 
duties  they  can  perform ;  promising  that,  if 
accepted,  the  routine  of  service  shall  be  as 
faithfully  performed  as  by  regularly  ap- 
pointed agents ;  "  adding,  "  In  these  times  we 
are  all  desirous  to  do  something  for  those 
who  are  fighting  the  battles,  and  for  one  I 
am  desirous  to  be  useful  here  rather  than 
to  leave  a  very  large  and  young  family  for 
distant  service.  But  if  I  cannot  do  one  I 
shall  feel  bound  to  offer  the  other  ;  though 
three  years  beyond  the  drafting  age,  I  am 
strong  and  active,  and  can  do  anything  re- 
quired of  younger  men." 


178  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

Another  letter  runs,  "  The  Sanitary  Com- 
mission may  have  the  use  of  the  store  at  the 
corner  of  West  and  Mason  Streets  free  of 
rent,  until  further  notice." 

War  meant  death  to  the  Whig  and  Union 
parties.  When,  then,  the  next  canvass  ap- 
proached, Mr.  Lawrence  heard,  to  his  sur- 
prise, that  his  name  was  to  be  joined  with 
that  of  Governor  Andrew  on  the  Republican 
ticket.  This  compliment  he  declined,  but 
from  that  time  until  the  presidential  elec- 
tion of  1886  he  voted  and  worked  with  the 
Republican  party. 

At  about  this  time  the  cruel  treatment  of 
our  soldiers  in  Southern  prisons  had  sug- 
gested the  policy  of  retaliation  in  order  to 
press  the  Southerners  to  humane  methods. 
The  kindly  spirit  of  Mr.  Lawrence  suggested 
another  policy.  Having  returned  from  a 
visit  to  the  rebel  prisoners  at  Fort  Warren, 
he  wrote  to  the  commandant :  — 

"  It  probably  has  occurred  to  you  that  the 
treatment  of  the  rebel  prisoners  will  have  an 
effect  upon  our  own  prisoners  at  the  South. 

"  As  the  government  rules  are  necessarily 
rigid,  it  is  possible  that  the  attentions  of 
private  citizens  may  be  occupied  in  alleviat- 
ing their  condition  in  some  measure.  The 


THE   WAR.  179 

loan  of  books,  addition  to  their  clothing, 
etc.,  may  not  come  amiss  to  those  who  have 
been  good  citizens  heretofore,  and  accus- 
tomed to  the  comforts  of  home.  There  is 
110  doubt  but  that  many  of  the  soldiers  were 
forced  into  the  ranks  in  North  Carolina, 
and  I  have  supposed  that  some  of  the  men 
who  were  more  distinguished  are  held  more 
as  hostages  than  otherwise.  It  will  afford 
me  pleasure  as  a  private  citizen  to  assist  in 
any  plan  which  may  require  individual  co- 
operation, though  I  do  not  suppose  that  it 
falls  within  your  official  duty  to  devise  any 
such  plan,  unless  to  ascertain  whether  it  is 
desired." 

A  letter  to  Mr.  Robert  Mason  gives  in 
a  few  words  the  drift  of  Mr.  Lawrence's 
thoughts  and  feelings  in  1862. 

BOSTON,  August  26,  1862. 

DEAR  ROBERT,  —  ...  The  war  now  has 
reached  very  broad  dimensions.  With  an 
army  of  a  million,  which  we  shall  have  (un- 
der pay  at  least)  in  November,  and  the  new 
gunboats,  the  government  will  carry  sub- 
mission wherever  it  goes.  Whether  it  will 
go  into  the  interior  of  the  South,  except  by 
gunboats,  we  cannot  tell.  It  may  be  more 


180  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

expensive  of  life  and  money  than  profitable. 
The  obstinacy  of  the  rebels  indicates  that  it 
will  be  necessary  to  ruin  them  completely 
and  settle  their  lands  with  Yankees.  The 
proclamation  of  emancipation  of  the  slaves 
in  the  rebel  States  will  be  made  whenever 
it  will  do  more  good  than  harm ;  and  that 
time  seems  to  be  approaching.  The  Presi- 
dent will  not  do  it  until  the  people  of  the 
loyal  States  are  pretty  much  agreed  upon 
it ;  and  public  opinion  is  setting  that  way 
more  and  more.  The  Yankee  settlers  in  the 
South  will  get  good  day's  work  out  of  the 
negroes  even  if  they  are  free. 

The  free  States  are  very  prosperous. 
Never  have  there  been  such  crowds  at  the 
watering-places  ;  never  such  an  abundance 
of  money.  It  may  be  like  the  days  before 
the  flood,  when  they  ate  and  drank  until 
Noah  went  into  the  ark,  and  the  flood  came 
and  drowned  them  all.  But  so  it  is.  There 
comes  a  heavy  sorrow  to  many  families  after 
a  great  battle,  and  all  the  time  there  are  be- 
reavements which  the  public  does  not  see. 
There  were  several  funerals  here  at  one  time 
recently  when  the  bodies  of  Captain  Good- 
win (Ozias's  son),  Captain  Abbott  (Judge 
Abbott's  son),  Captain  Gary  (T.  G.  Gary's 


THE  WAR.  181 

son),  Lieutenant  Perkins  (Stephen  Perkins's 
son)  were  brought  home.  A  son  of  Dr. 
Shurtleff  was  killed  in  the  same  engagement. 
One  of  Josiah  Quincy's  sons  is  missing  ;  the 
time  now  elapsed  makes  it  doubtful  whether 
he  is  a  prisoner.  George  Russell's  son  is  a 
prisoner  in  close  confinement ;  Quincy  Shaw 
has  been  down  there  to  learn  about  him,  and 
his  family  have  received  two  notes  in  pencil 
from  him.  These  things  make  people  feel 
rather  sad ;  but  they  are  small  compared 
with  the  great  mass  of  sorrow  which  all  the 
deaths  of  soldiers  create.  But  all  does  not 
have  the  effect  of  preventing  our  fashion- 
able people  from  making  fools  of  themselves, 
and  of  others.  Down  at  Newport  they  say 
the  balls  are  splendid. 

Factory  business  better  than  ever,  but 
looking  forward  into  empty  space.  .  .  .  Busi- 
ness is  easily  done ;  no  dickering  about 
prices ;  almost  all  sales  for  cash.  Stores  all 
shut  up  at  two  o'clock,  when  the  bells  begin 
to  ring  and  the  drums  to  beat.  I  wonder 
that  any  of  the  young  men  stay  out  of  camp. 
I  find  it  hard  myself,  though  three  years  be- 
yond the  military  age,  and  might  be  laughed 
at.  Besides,  it  behooves  every  man  to  make 
sure  that  he  is  doing  the  best  thing  he  can 


182  AMOS  A.   LAWRENCE. 

do,  when  he  leaves  a  large  family  to  go  sol- 
diering. If  he  has  a  doubtful  conscience  he 
has  made  a  blunder  and  will  regret  it  all  the 
time.  All  well  in  my  family.  They  are  at 
Swampscott  for  a  few  days  longer.  Re- 
member me  to  all  yours,  and  regards  to  Mrs. 
Mason.  Yours  very  truly, 

A.  A.  L. 


XI. 

THE  WAR. 

1862-1865. 

THE  summer  campaign  of  1862  had  dem- 
onstrated to  the  government  that  the  army 
was  woefully  weak  in  the  cavalry  service. 
Consequently  in  the  autumn  there  was  a 
strong  movement  by  the  government  for  ad- 
ditional mounted  service. 

Mr.  Lawrence  had  been  drilling  with  the 
sabre  for  some  weeks,  and  had  ridden  and 
lived  among  horses  from  boyhood.  This 
movement  therefore  seemed  to  give  him  an 
opportunity  for  more  personal  service  than 
he  had  thus  far  given.  He  therefore  wrote 
to  Colonel  Henry  Lee  of  the  governor's 
staff :  — 

BOSTON,  October  5,  1862. 

DEAR  HARRY,  —  ...  Everybody  wants 
to  have  a  hand  in  putting  an  end  to  the  war. 
If  anybody  who  is  authorized  would  direct 
me  to  recruit  a  regiment  of  cavalry  for 


184  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

three  years'  service,  I  should  think  my  time 
of  service  had  come  and  should  do  my  best 
to  accomplish  it. 

Yours  truly,  A.  A.  L. 

The  question  whether  he  should  himself 
enlist  was  settled  by  a  letter  from  the  Gov- 
ernor advising  him  against  active  service, 
and  one  from  his  friend,  Major  Gardiner,  of 
the  United  States  Army  :  — 

"  I  would  most  strongly  advise  you  against 
joining  a  cavalry  regiment.  I  have  been  a 
cavalry  officer  for  more  than  twenty  years 
and  know  what  the  service  is.  No  man  is 
fitted  for  such  service  after  thirty  years  un- 
less he  has  been  brought  up  to  it,  and  even 
if  he  has  been  he  ceases  to  be  equal  to  it  un- 
less he  is  of  an  extraordinary  constitution." 

In  answer  to  his  letter  to  Colonel  Lee, 
Mr.  Lawrence  received  this  letter  from  the 
Governor :  — 

COMMONWEALTH  OF  MASSACHUSETTS, 
EXECUTIVE  DEPABTMENT, 

BOSTON,  October  27,  1862. 

SIR,  —  You  are  hereby  authorized  to  re- 
cruit a  battalion  of  four  companies  of  cav- 
alry (including  the  one  coming  from  Cali- 
fornia) for  three  years  or  the  war,  and  if 


THE    WAR.  185 

you  can  arrange  with  his  honor,  the  Mayor 
of  Boston,  to  receive  the  city  bounty  upon 
the  remaining  three  hundred  men,  we  shall 
be  ready,  upon  your  assurances  that  they 
will  be  forthcoming,  to  accept  them  as  part 
of  the  Boston  quota. 

Your  obedient  servant,  etc. 

JOHN  A.  ANDREW, 

Governor,  etc. 

He  had  anticipated  the  formal  authoriza- 
tion by  writing  to  Captain  Charles  K.  Low- 
ell, who  was  at  the  time  an  aid  to  General 
McClellan  :  — 

BOSTON,  October  25,  1862. 

DEAR  SIR,  —  I  am  authorized  to  assure 
you  that  if  you  should  think  favorably  of 
the  proposition  to  take  command  of  a  bat- 
talion of  cavalry  to  be  raised  in  this  State 
for  three  years'  service,  his  excellency  the 
Governor  will  issue  to  you  a  commission  of 
major.  In  this  case  your  presence  will  be 
required  here  at  once  to  assist  in  the  organ- 
ization of  the  battalion. 

It  is  the  intention  to  appoint  captains  who 
are  now  in  active  service  ;  gentlemen  with 
whom  you  are  probably  acquainted. 

Your  obedient  servant,          A.  A.  L. 


186  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

The  battalion  soon  developed  into  the  Sec- 
ond Regiment  of  Cavalry,  with  Charles  R. 
Lowell,  colonel ;  Henry  S.  Russell,  lieuten- 
ant-colonel ;  Caspar  Crowninshield,  major ; 
and  William  H.  Forbes,  the  son  of  Mr. 
John  M.  Forbes,  who  was  associated  with 
Mr.  Lawrence  in  recruiting  the  regiment, 
as  a  captain. 

The  fascination  of  cavalry  service  and 
the  reputation  of  its  young  colonel  appealed 
to  young  men  of  good  physique  and  active 
spirit,  and  soon  applications  came  pouring 
in  for  commissions  for  their  sons  from  moth- 
ers and  fathers  of  young  Harvard  students 
and  graduates,  from  ministers  and  Boston's 
dancing  master,  Papanti.  It  was  an  easy 
task  to  fill  the  list  of  officers.  But  the  re- 
cruiting for  the  ranks  was  a  different  mat- 
ter. The  early  days  of  the  war  had  passed, 
when  at  town  meetings  and  enthusiastic  gath- 
erings, after  a  stirring  speech  and  roll  of 
drums,  the  men  had  walked  up  to  the  plat- 
form and  enlisted,  amid  the  cheers  of  their 
neighbors  and  the  tears  of  their  families. 

Massachusetts  had  sent  over  fifty  thou- 
sand into  the  army  and  navy ;  drafts  had 
been  ordered,  and  "  bounties  "  and  "  substi- 
tutes "  were  familiar  words.  The  methods 


THE  WAR.  187 

of  recruiting  in  1862  and  1863  were  very 
business-like  and  not  inspiring.  Each  town 
had  its  quota  of  men  to  fill.  The  recruiting 
agent,  like  Mr.  Lawrence,  would  write  to  a 
town  that  he  would  supply  them  with  men 
for  their  quota  at  the  rate  of  $200  apiece. 
He  would  then  send  some  officers  of  the 
regiment  through  the  country  or  into  Can- 
ada to  raise  men  who  for  the  bounty  of  from 
$100  to  $175  would  enlist  —  the  remainder 
of  the  money  going  to  the  payment  of  ex- 
penses and  the  regimental  fund. 

At  the  time  of  recruiting  the  Second  Cav- 
alry, the  farms,  shops,  and  factories  had  been 
thoroughly  ransacked,  the  army  of  bounty 
jumpers  had  developed,  and  even  the  jails 
had  been  called  upon  to  open  their  gates  to 
certain  classes  of  prisoners,  who  on  their 
promise  to  enlist  were  given  their  freedom. 
The  result  was  that  while  there  was  a  good 
body  of  patriotic  young  men  in  the  ranks  of 
the  Second  Cavalry,  there  was  also  a  strong 
mixture  of  rough  and  mutinous  elements, 
which,  however,  the  firm  and  soldierly  spirit 
of  Lowell  succeeded  in  disciplining.  One 
day  a  squad  of  recruits  in  barracks  showed 
an  unruly  spirit  and  the  colonel  was  called. 
He  found  a  serious  mutiny  in  progress,  and 


188  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

the  men  in  the  act  of  attacking  their  line 
officers  with  the  sabre.  Lowell  drew  his 
pistol  and  shot  the  ringleader  dead,  and 
then  ordered  the  officers  to  march  their  men 
off  for  drill  upon  the  common,  thus  remov- 
ing them  from  the  scene  and  keeping  them 
occupied  until  the  excitement  was  over. 
From  that  time  the  men  learned  that  they 
had  a  commander  to  deal  with.  A  company 
from  California,  composed  largely  of  New 
England  born  men,  came  to  Boston  and 
swelled  the  ranks  of  the  regiment.  It  was 
in  the  commonplace  work  of  advertising  for 
and  receiving  men  that  Mr.  Lawrence's  duty 
lay.  But  his  pleasure  was  in  the  association 
with  the  young  officers;  and  his  counting- 
room  often  sounded  with  the  click  of  the 
sabre  as  he  taught  some  young  lieutenant 
the  first  rudiments  of  the  sabre  manual. 

In  January,  1863,  he  was  able  to  write  to 
Governor  Andrew :  — 

"  It  is  now  more  than  two  months  since 
you  sent  for  me  and  gave  an  authorization 
to  recruit  a  battalion  of  cavalry  ;  and  I  am 
happy  to  inform  your  excellency  that  the 
duty  has  been  performed.  .  .  . 

"  There  remains  in  my  hands  a  considera- 
ble sum  of  money  received  from  citizens  and 


THE  WAR.  189 

towns  for  the  purpose  of  filling  their  quotas 
with  three  years'  men.  Of  this  an  accurate 
account  will  be  kept  and  the  quotas  will  soon 
be  filled  as  agreed.  If  any  balance  remains 
it  will  be  turned  over  to  the  regiment ;  but 
if  the  sum  should  be  insufficient,  I  shall 
cheerfully  supply  the  deficiency." 

On  January  1,  1862,  the  Proclamation  of 
Emancipation  went  into  effect,  and  at  about 
the  same  time  came  the  movement  for  negro 
troops.  On  the  9th  of  February  Mr.  Law- 
rence received  this  letter  :  — 

COUNCIL  CHAMBEB,  February  9,  1863. 
SIR,  —  I  have  invited  the  following  gen- 
tlemen, with  yourself,  to  act  as  a  committee 
to  advise  and  consult  with  myself  and  the 
officers  of  the  regiment,  in  organizing  and 
recruiting  a  colored  regiment  of  volunteers, 
viz. :  George  L.  Stearns,  John  M.  Forbes, 
Dr.  LeBaron  Russell,  Richard  P.  Hallowell, 
and  Wm.  I.  Bowditch,  with  F.  G.  Shaw, 
Esq.,  of  New  York  and  Morris  L.  Hallowell 
of  Philadelphia  as  corresponding  members. 
I  hope  that  you  may  be  able  to  act  upon  this 
committee,  and  am 

Very  respectfully, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

JOHN  A.  ANDREW. 


190  AMOS  A.  LA  WHENCE. 

On  the  28th  of  May  the  54th  Regiment, 
the  first  full  colored  regiment  in  the  country, 
marched  on  to  Boston  Common.  Colonel 
Robert  G.  Shaw,  whom  Mr.  Lawrence  de- 
scribes as  "  youthful,  handsome,  sensible,  de- 
termined, a  model  for  a  hero,"  marched  at 
their  head.  The  journal  runs :  — 

"  All  Boston  turned  out  to  see  the  first 
regiment  of  negroes  that  had  ever  been  raised 
in  the  Northern  States.  The  officers  are  all 
educated  gentlemen,  and  Shaw  rode  with 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Hallowell  (whose  arm 
was  still  in  a  sling)  at  the  head  of  the  col- 
umn. He  was  splendid.  I  stationed  myself 
outside  the  window  on  a  projection  of  one 
of  the  stone  stores  in  Franklin  Street,  and 
as  they  came  up  with  the  bands  playing  and 
the  people  cheering  from  the  street,  and  from 
the  houses,  with  the  flags  flaunting,  it  was 
indeed  a  grand  and  novel  sight.  The  troops 
marched  beautifully.  When  Shaw  and  his 
staff  came  opposite  I  hailed  him  and  bid  him 
adieu.  He  raised  his  hat  to  me,  and  waved 
it  toward  me  twice,  at  the  same  time  speak- 
ing to  Hallowell,  who  did  the  same.  May 
God  bless  these  dear  youths.  May  God 
save  our  country  from  its  foes.  May  God 
help  this  government  to  crush  rebellion,  and 


THE  WAR.  191 

to  crush  its  cause  with  it  —  slavery.  Would 
to  God,  would  to  God,  I  could  fight  these 
battles  for  these  young  men." 

In  everything  that  related  to  himself  and 
his  home  during  these  years,  life  ran 
smoothly,  as  the  following  letter  testifies  :  — 

LONGWOOD,  July  31, 1863. 

DEAR  WIFE,  —  This  day  brings  me  up  to 
forty-nine  years.  What  a  level  plain  of  pros- 
perity has  my  journey  been  across  thus  far  ! 
Family,  friends,  fortune,  all  twining  around, 
so  that  they  alone  seem  to  be  a  sufficient 
support.  Yet  it  is  plain  that  the  time  is  not 
far  off  when  they  all  will  fail.  May  the 
grace  of  God  strengthen  me  now,  and  then  ; 
and  save  me  from  falling  when  the  time  of 
trial  comes.  Yours  affectionately, 

A.  A.  LAWRENCE. 

But  the  increase  of  blessings  only  added 
to  the  intensity  of  his  sympathy  for  others 
less  fortunate,  especially  when  war  had  cut 
off  the  pride  of  a  family. 

He  wrote  to  his  cousin,  whose  nephew  had 
met  a  noble  death  :  — 


192  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

(Near)  BOSTON,  March  11,  1864. 

MY  DEAR  COUSIN  SALLIE, —  The  account 
of  young  Dahlgren's  death  reads  like  an  an- 
cient romance.  How  sad  !  how  brilliant ! 
how  wonderful !  What  devotion  !  what  in- 
trepidity !  what  patriotism  ! 

I  recalled  the  appearance  of  the  pale, 
maimed  youth  who  sat  on  your  piazza  on  the 
day  of  Abbott's  funeral ;  when  I  pressed  his 
hand  and  he  mine  as  though  we  were  blood 
relations,  though  we  had  never  seen  each 
other  before.  How  he  could  have  gained 
strength  to  ride  on  one  of  those  painful, 
exhausting  raids  surpasses  comprehension. 
But  there  he  was,  fighting  like  a  hero  ;  dy- 
ing like  a  martyr ;  his  body  stripped  and 
insulted  and  ignominiously  buried.  His 
memory  will  live  when  we  are  all  dead  and 
forgotten.  May  God's  grace  sustain  his 
parents  and  his  family  under  this  great  and 
sad,  but  hallowed  affliction. 

My  tears  drop  right  down  while  reading 
the  extracts  from  the  Richmond  papers,  — 
tears  of  sorrow,  of  anger,  of  joy  that  my 
country  has  produced  such  a  noble  youth, 
and  that  she  has  more. 

I  hope  that  you  are  well,  and  that  life 
wears  a  brighter  aspect  for  you.  You  are 


THE   WAR.  193 

still  young,  and  you  may  have  many  years 
of  useful  happiness. 

We  are  all  well  at  "  Cottage  Farm,"  in- 
cluding   Henry    A.    Green's    family.       My 
Mary  is  looking  forward  to  be  married  be- 
fore summer.     My  wife  sends  her  love. 
Your  affectionate  cousin, 

A.  A.  L. 

A  few  extracts  from  his  journal  suggest 
the  memory  of  those  days. 

"  1864.  May  8.  Sunday.  All  sorts  of 
rumors,  after  service  this  afternoon.  I  sad- 
dled my  horse  and  rode  to  Boston  to  learn 
the  truth.  Severe  fighting,  but  no  great 
victory.  Eight  thousand  wounded  and  sent 
to  the  rear  of  Meade's  army,  and  the  first 
battle-ground  in  possession  of  our  army. 
Spare  us,  O  God,  from  defeat.  Give  us  the 
victory.  Give  us  peace." 

"10.  Severe  fighting.  Brigadier-General 
Wadsworth  killed.  Colonel  Griswold  of  the 
Massachusetts  56th,  the  only  child  of  a  widow 
who  lives  near  to  us,  is  killed  ;  also  Major 
Abbott,  son  of  Judge  Josiah  G.  Abbott  of 
Boston ;  this  is  the  second  son  killed  in  bat- 
tle in  this  war ;  he  was  in  command  of  the 
Massachusetts  20th,  and  a  very  fine  young 
officer. 


194  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

"  11.  The  battle  still  raging  in  Virginia. 
Grant  gains  ground.  Major-General  Sedg- 
wick  killed.  May  God  give  us  the  victory, 
and  confound  the  enemy. 

"  May  12.     Mary's  wedding.  .  .  . 

"  I  could  not  stay  at  home  without  hear- 
ing from  the  army.  So  I  rode  to  Boston  to 
learn  the  news,  and  afterwards  rode  to  Wa- 
ban  Hill  Farm. 

"  The  fighting  continues.  Very  bloody, 
very  desperate  at  times.  General  Steven- 
son of  Boston  killed  ;  a  good  officer.  May 
the  Lord  of  Hosts  give  our  brave  army  the 
victory.  He  alone  can  do  it." 

"  June  21.  Wounded  men  are  seen  every- 
where ;  in  the  streets,  on  the  railroad  cars, 
at  the  railroad  station.  Some  badly  maimed. 
Certainly  there  were  never  so  many  maimed 
men  of  one  nation  before,  and  the  graves ! 
And  the  sorrowing  hearts !  O  God,  how 
long  ?  " 

"  24.  Cotton  has  sold  at  165  cents  a 
pound  for  '  middling ' ;  and  gold  at  225 
cents  for  a  dollar.  Heavy  sheetings  about 
60  cents  a  yard.  Cocheco  prints  at  37 ^ 
cents." 

"  26.  Hot.  To  church  twice.  How  hard 
to  bear  is  this  oppressive  heat  by  the  poor 


THE  WAR.  195 

fellows  in  the  hospitals,  and  in  the  field. 
The  great  reaper,  Death,  has  an  abundant 
harvest.  O  God,  listen  to  the  prayers  of 
the  suffering  people,  and  pardon  our  sins, 
and  bless  us  once  more." 

"July  17.  Philip  Mason  died  at  S. 
Hooper's  house  in  Washington  after  great 
suffering.  His  thigh  and  part  of  one  hand 
were  shot  away.  Goodwin  Stone  of  the 
Second  Cavalry  (Massachusetts)  is  mortally 
wounded.  He  was  a  young  man  of  fine  tal- 
ent ;  one  of  the  highest  scholars  at  Cam- 
bridge of  the  class  of  '62.  I  obtained  his 
commission  for  him,  and  gave  him  lessons  in 
the  broadsword  exercise.  His  family  live 
in  Newburyport,  and  he  was  their  pride  ; 
respected  everywhere. 

"  We  moved  to  Nahant,  to  our  new  house 
on  the  rocks,  and  are  all  well  pleased  with 
it.  The  addition  which  I  have  made  to  it 
has  a  good  piazza  all  around  on  both  stories ; 
and  the  sea  view  is  excellent." 

"  23.  Took  tea  at  Mr.  Longfellow's  with 
Charles  Sumner.  The  latter  wishes  to  see 
a  president  with  brains  ;  one  who  can  make 
a  plan  and  carry  it  out." 

"  25.  The  fighting  in  Georgia  was  severe. 
Not  less  than  6,000  rebels  killed  and 


196  AMOS  A.   LAWRENCE. 

wounded.  Mr.  Sumner  thinks  McPherson 
was  fit  to  be  placed  at  the  head  of  the  army. 

"  31.     To-day  I  am  fifty  years  old. 

"  It  is  not  often  that  I  think  of  my  dear 
mother,  whose  image  .1  cannot  recall.  Yet 
now  I  do  bring  up  circumstances  transpir- 
ing fifty  years  ago,  when  she  first  looked  in 
tenderness  on  me.  Can  it  be  that  she  has 
been  watching  me  since  that  time  ?  And  will 
she  welcome  me  when  God  calls  me  home  ?  " 

"  August  2.  Salmon  P.  Chase  (ex-Secre- 
tary of  the  Treasury),  Agassiz,  J.  W.  Paige, 
Horace  Gray,  S.  Hooper,  and  myself  made 
the  company  at  dinner  at  Samuel  T.  Dana's, 
who  lives  on  the  north  side  of  Nahant  in 
Edward  Motley's  cottage. 

"  I  asked  Mr.  Agassiz  why  no  report  was 
made  by  the  late  C.  C.  Felton,  himself,  and 
Benjamin  Peirce,  who  were  chosen  a  com- 
mittee to  investigate  the  subject  of  modern 
*  spiritualism.'  He  said  the  facts  were  too 
bad  to  publish ;  they  implicated  many  most 
respectable  persons  ;  and  they  would  not  be 
believed.  The  whole  system  only  indicated 
how  weak  is  human  nature  in  resisting  im- 
posture, and  in  curbing  the  natural  lusts  of 
the  flesh." 

With  the    news  of   cavalry  successes   in 


THE  WAR.  197 

the  autumn  of  1864  came  also  the  tidings 
of  heavy  losses  from  among  the  best  men  in 
the  service.  Mr.  Lawrence  followed  every 
movement  of  the  Second  Cavalry  with  in- 
tense interest.  It  was  therefore  with  a  sharp 
pang  of  sorrow  that  he  recorded  the  death  of 
the  young  colonel  whom  only  a  few  months 
before  he  had  named  to  Governor  Andrew 
as  a  soldier  fit  to  command. 

"  October  24.  Colonel  Lowell's  death  con- 
firmed. He  was  a  splendid  officer ;  a  young 
man  of  fine  talents  and  character,  of  great 
energy  and  of  great  accomplishments;  the 
first  scholar  in  Cambridge,  and  everywhere 
the  first  in  action." 

"28.  Colonel  Charles  K.  Lowell's  fu- 
neral at  the  college  chapel  in  Cambridge.  It 
was  very  impressive.  The  Cadets  performed 
escort  duty.  He  was  the  only  son  of  his 
parents,  his  younger  brother  having  been 
killed  in  Virginia  in  the  Peninsular  Cam- 
paign." 

On  the  same  day  Mr.  Lawrence  wrote  for 
the  paper  this  notice  of  his  death. 

A  GLORIOUS  DEATH. 

"  The  brigade  of  cavalry  which  was  raised 
for  General  Buford  is  called  the  finest  in  the 


198  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

army.  After  his  death  the  command  was 
assigned  to  Colonel  Lowell,  as  a  compliment 
to  his  services,  and  he  acquitted  himself  in 
it  so  as  to  command  the  admiration  of  the 
officers  and  men.  General  Sheridan  was  so 
struck  with  his  efficiency  that  he  urged  the 
President  to  make  him  a  brigadier-general, 
and  the  commission  had  been  issued.  He 
had  always  exposed  himself  whenever  he 
could  render  any  service,  leading  his  men, 
and  fighting  often  like  a  private  soldier. 
But  in  this  campaign  of  thirty  days  his  ex- 
posure had  been  very  great ;  twelve  horses 
had  fallen  under  him,  one  of  them  struck 
in  seven  places,  and  his  clothes  had  been 
riddled  with  balls;  yet  he  had  not  been 
touched. 

"  His  first  wound  was  received  about  one 
o'clock  on  the  day  of  the  battle  of  Cedar 
Creek,  from  a  spent  ball  which  struck  him 
in  the  breast.  The  concussion  of  the  lungs 
was  so  great  as  to  cause  anxiety.  General 
Torbett  urged  that  he  should  be  carried  from 
the  field  ;  but  this  he  resisted.  Though  his 
voice  could  only  be  raised  to  a  whisper,  '  he 
hoped  to  lead  in  the  final  charge ' :  and  so 
he  did.  He  was  carried  to  the  rear,  and  a 
little  parapet  of  earth  thrown  up  to  shield 


THE  WAR.  199 

him  ;  and  he  lay  there  motionless  for  two 
hours,  having  exacted  a  promise  that  he 
should  be  told  when  the  charge  was  ordered. 
This  came  at  three  o'clock.  He  was  then 
raised  up  and  placed  upon  his  horse,  and  for 
a  time  seemed  to  receive  new  life.  He  rode 
to  the  front,  amid  the  cheers  of  the  men, 
and  took  the  command,  which  had  devolved 
upon  Lieutenant-Colonel  Caspar  Crownin- 
shield.  His  clear  voice  was  gone,  but  all 
saw  by  the  waving  of  his  sword  and  by  his 
eye,  what  he  meant.  He  whispered  the  or- 
ders to  his  officers  and  they  were  passed 
along  the  lines. 

"  It  was  half  an  hour  before  the  bugle 
sounded  the  grand  charge.  Then  his 
strength  rose  with  the  occasion  :  he  threw 
into  it  his  whole  life  :  it  was  to  him  '  the 
final  charge,'  and  to  many  other  brave  men. 
A  ball  pierced  him  from  shoulder  to  shoul- 
der, and,  laid  on  a  shelter  tent,  he  was  car- 
ried from  the  field.  Though  paralyzed,  he 
remained  conscious,  and  gave  minute  direc- 
tions about  the  business  of  his  command. 
He  dictated  letters  and  sent  loving  messages 
to  his  young  wife,  his  parents,  and  friends, 
and,  having  finished  all,  he  lay  quietly  ex- 
pecting death.  No  doubt  he  was  prepared 


200  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

for  it,  for  the  whole  of  his  brief  life  had 
been  spent  in  the  performance  of  his  duty. 
Few  men  have  combined  so  many  talents 
and  accomplishments,  so  much  learning  and 
so  much  virtue,  with  so  strong  a  love  of 
country." 

During  the  canvas  of  1864  Mr.  August 
Belinont  of  New  York  wrote  to  the  "  New 
York  Times,"  offering  to  bet  in  the  form  of 
two  propositions  of  $10,000  each.  The  first 
proposition  was  "  that  if  Mr.  Lincoln  should 
be  elected,  we  will  be  in  a  state  of  war  dur- 
ing the  term  of  his  administration  or  will 
be  forced  to  a  disgraceful  peace,  with  sepa- 
ration." This  drew  from  Mr.  Lawrence, 
whose  admiration  for  the  policy  and  charac- 
ter of  Mr.  Lincoln  led  him  for  the  first  time 
to  vote  for  a  Republican  president,  the  fol- 
lowing letter  to  the  editor  of  the  "  Times." 

(Near)  BOSTON,  November  4,  1864. 
DEAR  SIR,  —  The  proposition  of  Mr. 
Belmont  in  your  paper  of  yesterday  seems 
to  be  calculated  to  influence  doubting  or 
timid  persons  to  vote  with  him.  If  you 
think  so,  and  if  none  of  your  people  will 
take  him  up  on  his  first  proposition,  then  I 


THE  WAR.  201 

will  do  it,  provided  the  money  shall  be  given 
to  some  charitable  object  in  New  York  or 
Boston,  at  the  option  of  the  winner. 

I  have  always  voted  against  the  Republi- 
can candidates,  and  never  have  bet,  and  have 
no  money  to  spare  at  this  time.  I  pray 
for  peace  as  devoutly  as  Mr.  Belmont,  and 
for  union,  and  believe  that  we  shall  have 
both,  but  not  in  the  way  he  proposes. 
Your  obedient  servant, 

AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

Nothing  was  heard  from  Mr.  Belmont. 

The  year  1864  closed  with  the  news  that 
the  Confederacy  had  been  cut  in  halves  by 
Sherman's  march. 

"December  15.  General  Sherman's  guns 
heard  on  the  seaboard  at  Beaufort.  Frank 
Lawrence  at  Port  Royal  writes,  '  We  hear 
the  guns  and  hope  to  see  Arthur  soon." 
(Arthur  is  with  Sherman.)  This  will  be 
the  greatest  march  of  the  war,  if  he  gets 
through  safely  from  the  Mississippi  to  the 
sea." 

"  31.  11  P.  M.  My  God,  my  Father.  I 
would  utter  grateful  thanks  for  the  constant 
and  unnumbered  blessings  on  myself  and 
on  my  family  during  the  year  just  passing 


202  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

away.  Lift  up  our  hearts  from  the  de- 
voted love  of  this  world  to  the  love  of  thyself. 
Turn  our  eyes  away  from  the  contemplation 
of  vain  things  upon  our  Saviour  who  suffered 
for  us.  Make  us  like  H-!m.  Accept  our  poor 
efforts ;  pardon  our  infirmities  and  sins  ;  and 
prepare  us  for  the  great  change  that  awaits 
us  all,  and  finally  receive  us  into  thy  heav- 
enly kingdom.  I  ask  this  in  the  name  of 
our  dear  Saviour,  Jesus  Christ ;  and  for  His 
sake,  grant  my  prayer,  O  my  God." 

The  year  1865  opened  upon  the  final 
events  of  the  Rebellion,  when  the  rapid  suc- 
cession of  victorious  news  was  eclipsed  by 
the  tragic  week  in  April. 

"April  2.  Major  Charles  H.  Mills  of 
Boston  killed.  He  had  been  at  home  for  a 
long  time  badly  wounded,  and  we  had  seen 
him  about  the  streets  and  in  company  repeat- 
edly ;  in  fact  he  had  only  just  left  us  for 
*  the  front '  when  he  was  cut  down  in  the 
flower  of  his  youth.  O  God,  give  us  peace  ; 
peace  with  good  government ;  peace  with  lib- 
erty. This  is  Sunday.  Ho\7  sad  to  many 
hearts  all  over  the  land. 

"  3.  Richmond  surrendered.  Thanks  be 
to  Almighty  God. 

"4.  Great  rejoicing,  and  no  business 
done." 


THE  WAR.  208 

"  6.  I  am  building  a  new  library  on  the 
south  side  of  my  house,  and  in  the  stone  at 
the  base  of  the  chimney  outside,  I  have  had 
an  inscription  cut,  '  RICH.  ViCT.  APR.  in. 
A.  D.  MDCCCLXV.'  ' 

"  9.  General  Lee's  army  surrendered  to 
General  Grant.  Thanks  be  to  Almighty 
God  for  this.  Now  He  smiles  once  more 
upon  us.  I  have  ordered  another  inscrip- 
tion cut  in  the  stone  of  my  '  Memorial 
room  '  as  I  propose  to  call  it.  '  EXERCIT. 
CONFED.  DEDITUS.  APR.  ix.  MDCCCLXV.' 

"  10.  Rejoicing,  flags,  cannon  firing,  fire 
works,  illuminations  and  thanksgiving,  and 
little  else." 

"  15.  President  Lincoln  assassinated. 
While  we  were  at  breakfast  the  waiting- 
maid  came  in  and  said  that  President  Lin- 
coln and  Mr.  Seward  were  assassinated. 
At  that  moment  the  Brookline  bell  struck 
and  the  town  flag  was  hoisted  to  half-mast. 
This  told  the  story.  The  news  had  just 
come,  in  fact  the  President  had  but  just  theu 
died.  This  shows  the  wickedness  of  the  Re- 
bellion and  the  desperation  of  the  rebels.  I 
ordered  a  new  inscription  to  be  cut :  '  POP. 
GAUDIO  SUCCEDIT  SUMMUS  DOLOR.  APR. 
xiv.  MDCCCLXV.'  All  the  bells  over  the 


204  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

whole  country  are  tolling ;  all  the  flags  at 
half-mast.     Mourning  everywhere. 

"  16.  Mourning  everywhere  for  Mr.  Lin- 
coln. (Mr.  Seward  and  his  son  not  dead, 
but  very  ill  from  wounds.)  The  houses  all 
draped  more  or  less  with  black  and  white, 
and  all  the  stores. 

"  17.  Put  one  more  inscription  in  the 
stone.  '  SICUT  PATKIBUS  SIT  DEUS  No- 
BIS.'  " 

"  June  1.  Grand  procession  of  mourning 
for  Mr.  Lincoln.  This  day  is  appointed  by 
the  President  as  a  day  of  mourning.  In 
the  morning  at  9  A.  M.  we  went  to  church. 
The  display  of  military  was  large,  com- 
manded by  General  Bartlett,  '  the  bravest 
of  the  brave,'  who  rides  as  well  as  though 
he  had  as  many  legs  and  arms  as  he  had 
before  the  war.  Many  officers  and  men 
scarred  and  browned  with  their  campaigns 
were  in  the  procession ;  but  as  interesting  as 
any  were  the  great  vans  filled  with  soldiers 
who  had  lost  their  lower  limbs  and  who 
could  not  walk.  These  were  cheered  more 
than  any." 

To  Mr.  Mason  he  wrote  :  — 

BOSTON,  June  28,  1865. 

DEAR    ROBERT,  —  The    regiments     are 


THE  WAR.  205 

coming  home  fast.  Every  day  we  see  the 
swarthy  veterans  marching  through  the 
streets.  The  railroad  stations,  the  cars, 
everything  is  alive  with  them.  Just  now 
the  4th  Massachusetts  Artillery  is  passing  up 
the  street.  The  colonel  (King)  has  been 
knocked  pretty  much  to  pieces  ;  but  he  sits 
erect  on  his  horse  and  looks  as  handsome  as 
ever,  though  his  hair  has  turned  to  gray. 
Several  officers  have  only  one  arm  or  have 
lost  a  leg.  The  drum  major  is  a  perfect 
giant.  The  men  are  very  thin  and  the  color 
of  Spaniards ;  they  look  straight  forward, 
and  do  not  mind  the  cheering.  At  every 
step  some  relative  or  friend  recognizes  a  sol- 
dier and  calls  him  by  name,  which  causes 
him  to  look  in  that  direction.  Then  as  the 
rusty  flag  passes,  everybody  gives  it  a  cheer. 
This  is  going  on  all  over  the  country.  The 
officers  put  on  their  civilian  dress  the  next 
day  after  they  are  mustered  out,  and  the 
men  take  off  their  buttons  and  faded  trim- 
mings at  once,  so  that  in  a  few  weeks  we 
shall  see  no  soldiers. 

The  year  1865  closed  with  the  final  war 
scene. 

"  December  22.      Forefathers'   Day.      A 


206  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

procession  of  all  the  regiments  which  have 
been  to  the  war,  with  all  their  flags.  These 
last  they  carried  to  the  state  house  and  de- 
livered to  the  Governor.  It  was  a  touching 
sight.  Most  of  the  regiments  were  repre- 
sented by  a  score  or  two  of  men,  with  their 
colonel  in  most  cases  at  their  head.  Some 
had  as  many  as  one  hundred.  Some  had  one 
old,  tattered,  faded  flag.  Some  had  several. 
The  men  had  but  little  uniform.  Being  dis- 
banded, they  had  gone  to  their  old  pursuits, 
and  had  no  uniform,  except  a  few.  Some 
were  wounded,  one  poor  fellow  had  lost  both 
arms.  There  were  over  sixty  regiments  in 
all,  and  when  all  the  flags  had  been  taken  by 
the  Governor  they  were  displayed  in  front 
of  the  state  house.  That  was  a  glorious 
sight  as  it  was  seen  from  the  Common. 
Many  a  poor  wounded  and  dying  soldier  had 
looked  on  one  or  another  of  these  flags,  now 
displayed  to  an  admiring  throng  of  his  fel- 
low countrymen  who  enjoy  what  he  gave  his 
life  to  obtain,  a  good,  stable  government." 


XII. 

PEKSONAL    TKAITS. 

IT  was  a  favorite  idea  with  Mr.  Lawrence 
that  after  a  man  had  passed  the  age  of  forty 
his  gain  in  wisdom  and  experience  did  not 
counterbalance  the  loss  in  activity  of  mind 
and  body  and  the  gradual  failure  of  the  ex- 
ecutive faculty.  On  this  principle  he  was 
always  an  advocate  of  putting  young  men  of 
promise  into  responsible  executive  positions  ; 
and  he  had  that  appreciation  of  the  worth 
and  intelligence  of  young  men  that  under 
his  guidance  their  best  qualities  were  devel- 
oped and  their  activities  brought  to  the 
highest  pressure.  But  the  application  of 
the  principle  to  himself  had  this  drawback, 
that  when,  at  the  close  of  the  war,  he  had 
reached  the  age  of  fifty,  he  began  to  feel 
that  his  best  years  had  passed  and  some- 
times to  affect  an  old  age  which  really  had 
no  place  in  his  strong  physique.  Having 
moved  much  with  older  men  in  his  early 


208  AMOS  A.   LAWRENCE. 

business  day,  he  looked  upon  them  as  his 
contemporaries,  and  whenever  an  acquaint- 
ance died  who  was  not  more  than  twenty  or 
thirty  years  older  than  himself,  he  felt  that 
one  of  his  own  age  had  departed  and  that 
his  own  time  must  soon  come.  With  a  man 
of  his  intense  activity  and  nervous  tempera- 
ment, reactions  were  sure  to  occur,  and  at 
this  time  we  begin  to  read  the  first  note  of 
what  later  became  sometimes  a  rather  mel- 
ancholy strain.  Anniversaries  suggested  sad 
rather  than  hopeful  thoughts. 

"  July  31.  My  birthday.  My  life  seems 
to  be  passing  away  without  any  great  result. 
My  chief  care  and  ambition  for  this  world 
now  centres  in  the  welfare  of  my  children. 
Age  makes  me  less  sanguine  about  changing 
the  destinies  of  men,  and  I  cease  to  take  an 
active  part  in  popular  movements.  God  give 
grace  to  save  me  from  a  sordid  selfish  ease." 

"  August  7.  Since  the  war  and  since  so 
many  of  my  friends  have  gone  abroad,  I  look 
too  much  on  the  dark  side.  Ambition 
seems  to  have  died  out  and  great  hopes 
have  ceased  to  be  excited." 

The  following  letter  to  his  Uncle  Giles 
Richards  suggests  the  double  life  which  in- 
tensified as  he  grew  older,  —  that  of  an  intro- 


PERSONAL    TRAITS.  209 

spective  melancholy  bound  to  an  earnest 
faith,  which  was  so  common  among  our  New 
England  ancestors,  combined  with  a  viva- 
city and  cheerfulness  in  society  of  which  our 
fathers  were  seldom  guilty. 

December  7,  1865.     Thanksgiving  Evening. 

MY  DEAR  UNCLE,  —  On  these  anniver- 
sary days  the  memory  runs  back  to  the  days 
long  passed  away,  and  it  requires  a  great 
effort  for  any  except  the  very  young  to 
avoid  an  overpowering  feeling  of  sadness. 
I  think  of  you  in  what  was  not  many  years 
ago  your  "  new  home,"  surrounded  with  all 
that  makes  life  sweet.  The  glad  voices  of 
your  children,  the  tender  smile  of  their 
mother,  all  united  to  warm  your  heart  and  to 
make  you  thank  God  for  so  much  happiness. 

Now  in  your  "  old  home  "  you  sit  by  your 
hearth,  an  old  man,  the  lamp  growing  dim, 
the  bright  lights  of  former  days  gone  out. 
The  forms  so  dear  are  not  seen ;  their  cheer- 
ful voices  are  not  heard.  Yet  in  your  own 
imagination  you  do  see  them,  and  you  do  hear 
their  voices.  But  their  forms  are  more 
heavenly,  and  their  voices  are  calling  on  you 
to  prepare  to  rejoin  them.  No  doubt  you 
will  gladly  obey  the  summons  when  in  God's 


210  AMOS   A.   LAWRENCE. 

good  time  it  shall  come.  Meantime  you  will 
live  for  those  who  remain  to  you,  cheerful 
and  cheering,  in  the  service  of  the  Lord, 
and  in  communion  with  his  saints. 

All  this  reminds  me  of  my  own  life,  so 
filled  with  blessing,  yet  fast  gliding  away. 
All  my  dear  ones  remain  with  me.  My  good 
wife,  seven  children,  and  one  grandchild, 
all  are  here  under  this  roof.  I  see  their 
forms,  to  me  the  most  beautiful  on  earth, 
and  I  hear  their  voices  on  this  Thanksgiving 
evening.  Indeed,  I  have  cause  for  thank- 
fulness, though  the  black  clouds  of  sorrow 
should  gather  from  this  very  hour ;  still  I 
could  be  thankful,  for  my  cup  of  blessing 
has  long  been  full  and  running  over.  Who 
that  has  lived  fifty  years  can  enjoy  these 
family  days  without  some  sadness,  if  those 
cannot  who  have  been  prospered  all  the 
time. 

Sunday  10th.  My  note  was  stopped  by 
the  influx  of  some  twenty  young  people, 
chiefly  nephews  and  nieces,  who  assembled 
here  to  have  "  high  jinks  "  on  Thanksgiving 
evening.  There  were  two  families  of  Uncle 
William  L.'s  grandchildren  (Sprague  and 
Whitney),  two  families  of  Uncle  Abbott's 
grandchildren  (Abbott  L.'s  and  Rotch),  and 


PERSONAL   TRAITS.  211 

an  equal  number  of  Appleton  grandchildren. 
They  soon  had  possession  of  my  sanctum 
where  this  is  written,  and  turned  me  out  to 
help  play  the  "  elephant,"  to  "  wind  the 
bottle,"  to  see  "  the  dwarf  "  and  the  "  gi- 
ant." The  sport  ran  high  from  six  o'clock 
till  nine,  and  then  they  disappeared  into  the 
snow-storm  to  their  homes.  They  like  to 
come  to  Uncle  Amos's  ;  they  think,  no  doubt, 
that  I  have  been  here  always,  and  that  I  am 
as  lasting  as  the  hills.  If  the  new  heaven 
and  the  new  earth  are  to  be  our  everlasting 
home,  then  in  our  human  weakness  some 
might  pray  that  this  present  home  may  be 
ours  hereafter.  Certainly  I  should  be  one 
to  ask  to  live  right  here. 

Your  affectionate  nephew, 

A.  A.  L. 

None  of  this  inner  melancholy  tone  was 
noticeable  to  his  friends,  however,  except  that 
he  occasionally  "  talked  old,"  and  heard  with 
satisfaction  mingled  with  chagrin  that  some 
one  had  taken  him  for  an  old  man.  In  fact 
his  bald  head,  encircled  by  the  finest  silken 
hair,  which  was  too  silvery  to  turn  gray, 
gave  him  that  appearance.  But  his  strong, 
stocky,  active  body,  smooth  complexion,  soft 


212  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

skin,  and  clear  blue  eye  were  certain  marks 
that  great  vigor  still  remained.  And  his 
habits  were  those  of  a  vigorous  man.  A  few 
minutes'  exercise  before  the  open  window 
with  his  twenty-five-pouud  dumb-bells  pre- 
ceded breakfast,  at  which  he  was  sure  to  find 
his  whole  family,  his  wife  and  seven  children, 
promptly  at  seven  o'clock.  In  those  years 
Longwood  had  only  candles  to  dispel  the 
wintry  gloom  from  the  breakfast-room.  At 
quarter  before  eight  family  prayers  were 
over  and  his  horse,  which  was  often  an  ugly- 
tempered,  ill-trained,  or  high-strung  beast, 
was  at  the  door.  He  was  then  off  for  the 
country  —  sometimes  to  rap  with  his  whip 
on  the  window  of  his  pastor,  Dr.  Stone,  or 
his  loved  friend  and  relative,  James  S. 
Amory,  or  to  rouse  from  the  breakfast-table 
some  other  neighbor. 

While  treasurer  of  the  college  he  usually 
took  Cambridge  into  his  circuit.  After 
1862  his  farm  at  Waban  Hill  in  Newton 
always  received  one  visit  in  the  day.  But, 
a  few  minutes  after  nine  he  had  thrown  the 
rein  on  his  horse's  neck  in  the  stable  in 
Mason  Street  at  the  rear  of  his  father's 
house,  and  was  on  his  way  to  the  count- 
ing-room at  17  Milk  Street.  (In  1869  he 


PERSONAL  TRAITS.  213 

removed  his  office  to  13  Chauncy  Street.) 
Six  hours  of  active  business,  including  the 
reception  of  beggars,  borrowers,  and  ac- 
quaintances with  schemes  to  unfold,  gave 
him  the  impulse  for  a  sharp  ride  home  over 
the  Mill-dam.  Dinner  and  a  five  minutes' 
nap  refreshed  him  for  a  drive,  a  skate  on 
Jamaica  Pond,  or  another  ride  on  a  fresh 
horse,  from  which  he  returned  after  dark 
ready  for  his  tea,  newspaper,  and  pipe  or 
cigar.  This  life  on  the  road  made  him  a 
familiar  figure,  and  that  person  was  a 
stranger  in  Brookline  who  did  not  recognize 
and  give  a  passing  nod  to  Mr.  Lawrence. 
For  his  taste  was  so  social  that  he  was  ready 
to  stop  and  have  a  chat  with  any  one. 
Every  workman  on  the  road  looked  up 
with  the  feeling  that  he  would  be  recog- 
nized and  accosted,  and  it  was  seldom  that 
Mr.  Lawrence  did  not  carry  away  from  his 
conversation  a  piece  of  useful  information, 
while  the  Irishman  retained  a  kindly  feeling 
and  often  a  gold  dollar  for  the  children ; 
for  Mr.  Lawrence  always  carried  gold  to 
give  away  even  in  the  days  of  its  highest 
premium.  Duffy,  the  blacksmith,  was  the 
means  of  quietly  passing  from  five  to  fifty 
dollars  into  the  hands  of  his  neighbors. 


214  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

And  for  the  mechanics  and  tradesmen  in 
the  town  he  had  as  respectful  and  neigh- 
borly interest  as  he  did  for  his  friends  Dr. 
Francis,  Dr.  Wharton,  or  Mr.  Winthrop. 

It  was  this  perfectly  natural  sympathy 
with  men  of  all  sorts,  combined  with  his 
other  conditions,  that  gave  him  a  unique 
position  in  the  community.  At  the  town 
meetings,  though  he  was  not  a  ready 
speaker,  he  had  that  business-like  but  kindly 
manner,  mixed  with  a  little  dry  wit,  which 
disarmed  criticism,  created  confidence,  and 
sent  a  glow  of  kindly  feeling  among  those 
who  were  wrangling  about  some  great  ques- 
tions as  the  widening  of  a  street  or  the 
draining  of  a  marsh,  such  as  rouse  the  pas- 
sions of  fellow  townsmen.  He  never  had 
the  time  to  accept  many  long  term  offices  in 
the  town,  but  if  there  were  any  special  ques- 
tion or  new  undertaking  he  was  ready  to 
take  his  share  of  the  work.  There  was  one 
kind  of  town  improvement  in  which  he  al- 
ways had  an  interest,  —  the  laying  out  of 
play-grounds  for  the  boys.  His  faith  in  the 
worth  of  physical  exercise  led  him  to  join 
with  others  in  creating  a  skating  pond  on 
the  Aspinwall  meadows,  and  building  a  float- 
ing bath-house  on  Charles  River.  And  no 


PERSONAL   TRAITS.  215 

part  of  his  work  in  connection  with  the  col- 
lege interested  him  more  than  the  building 
of  the  gymnasium  p.nd  the  purchase  of  Jar- 
vis  Field  to  take  the  place  of  the  Delta,  on 
which  Memorial  Hall  was  to  be  built. 

Associated  with  his  out-of-door  life  was 
his  interest  in  adding  to  the  beauty  of  the 
towns,  not  only  by  parks  but  in  the  simpler 
way  of  creating  in  the  people  a  pride  in  the 
neatness  and  beauty  of  their  surroundings. 

The  meeting-house,  the  roads,  and  the 
cemetery  at  Groton  were  special  objects  of 
his  care. 

The  following  instances  of  the  correction 
of  public  annoyances  are  mentioned  not  for 
their  importance  but  simply  as  characteristic 
of  the  man.  While  the  newspapers  were 
scolding  about  the  disfigurement  of  the 
towns  and  country  by  advertisements  and 
posters,  Mr.  Lawrence  was  having  copies  of 
the  stringent  statutes  on  the  subject  mailed 
to  the  chief  of  police  or  selectmen  in  every 
town  and  village  in  the  State,  with  an  urgent 
request  that  the  law  be  enforced.  And  it 
was  a  satisfaction  to  him  to  know  that, 
largely  through  his  influence,  the  two  towns 
in  which  he  lived  permitted  no  advertise- 
ments or  posters  within  their  limits.  It 


216  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

pleased  him  very  much  to  try  without  success 
to  induce  a  man  with  posters  on  the  Cam- 
bridge side  of  Charles  River  to  bring  his  ad- 
vertisements across  the  line  to  Brookline. 

The  shriek  of  the  Worcester  Railroad 
whistle,  as  the  trains  shot  across  the  crowded 
streets*towards  Boston,  induced  his  brother 
and  himself  to  offer  through  the  "  Daily  Ad- 
vertiser "  the  sum  of  "  $10,000  to  be  given 
to  the  inventor  of  a  system  of  signals  in 
lieu  of  whistles."  Whatever  effect  the  of- 
fer may  have  had,  their  urgency  of  the  mat- 
ter upon  the  railroad  officials  resulted  in 
causing  the  engineers  to  cease  whistling 
several  miles  outside  of  Boston. 

From  the  first  day  that  he  moved  to 
Longwood,  in  1851,  he  joined  with  his 
brother  in  laying  out  their  tract  of  land, 
planting  trees,  opening  up  roads,  and  build- 
ing houses ;  so  that  within  a  few  years  the 
Cottage  Farm  was  covered  with  a  cluster  of 
stone  and  brick  cottages  which,  hidden  be- 
hind trees  and  hedges,  gave  it  the  appear- 
ance of  a  private  park.  And  as  the  first 
object  was  the  creation  of  a  pleasant  neigh- 
borhood, the  houses  were  always  filled  with 
families  who  joined  with  each  other  in  mak- 
ing a  delightful  and  refined  community. 


PERSONAL  TRAITS.  217 

In  1862  Mr.  Lawrence  anticipated  the  ap- 
proach of  Boston,  which  is  now  converting 
Cottage  Farm  into  city  streets,  and  bought 
a  farm  of  over  100  acres  about  three  miles 
farther  out  of  town,  on  a  part  of  the  tract 
formerly  occupied  by  the  chief  Waban  and 
his  tribe.  It  was  an  unrealized  dream  that 
he  might  retire  to  Waban  Farm  as  Boston 
approached  Longwood.  But  the  city  soon 
took  a  large  slice  of  his  tract  for  the  bed  of 
the  "  Lawrence  Basin  "  of  the  Chestnut  Hill 
Reservoir,  and  thus  deprived  it  of  its  bucolic 
aspect.  However,  for  twenty  years  this 
place  was  his  autumn  home,  and  to  it  he 
rode  almost  every  day  in  the  year,  superin- 
tending the  plowing,  sowing,  and  reaping, 
planting  nurseries  of  fruit-trees,  pruning  and 
grafting,  overseeing  the  dairy,  and  giving 
play  to  his  taste  for  farming  and  country 
life  which  his  ancestry  from  Wisset,  Eng- 
land to  Groton  had  cultivated  from  neces- 
sity. 

In  1864  Mr.  Lawrence  moved  for  the 
first  time  to  his  summer  home  at  Nahant. 
With  each  of  the  succeeding  twenty-two 
years  he  became  more  and  more  attached 
to  the  spot  which  nature  and  neighbors 
made  so  congenial.  The  cottage,  which 


218  AMOS  A.   LAWRENCE. 

stands  on  one  of  the  southwest  points, 
caught  the  breezes  fresh  from  the  water ; 
the  clear  sweep  of  view  across  Lynn  Bay 
to  the  Saugus  Hills  gave  every  sunset  with 
its  reflected  colors  a  double  glory.;  and  at 
night  when  Mr.  Lawrence  lay  awake  for 
hours  reflecting  and  praying,  as  he  often 
did,  his  thoughts  were  accompanied  by  the 
soft  splashing  of  the  waves  beneath  his  win- 
dow. His  love  for  Boston  people  intensi- 
fied as  he  grew  older ;  and  the  description 
of  Nahant  society  by  his  near  neighbor  Mr. 
Thomas  G.  Appleton,  "  cold  roast  Boston," 
was  to  Mr.  Lawrence  its  chief  recommenda- 
tion. With  Mr.  Longfellow  next  door  and 
with  many  representatives  of  Old  Boston 
all  about  him,  he  could  cultivate  to  his 
heart's  content  that  social  nature  which 
would  not  let  a  day  pass  without  informal 
calls  on  his  friends. 

Here  also  it  was  his  pleasure  to  pass  sev- 
eral hours  in  the  saddle,  exploring  the  fields 
and  rocky  points,  discovering  new  views, 
chatting  with  the  neighbors  in  the  Irish  set- 
tlement as  well  as  on  the  hill,  and  then  tak- 
ing a  sharp  canter  on  the  hard  sand  of  Long 
Beach.  At  Nahant  the  whole  family  cen- 
tred, so  that  a  dinner-table  of  twelve  or  fif- 


PERSONAL    TRAITS.  219 

teen  children  and  grandchildren  was  a  fa- 
miliar scene.  These  family  gatherings  were 
the  happiest  occasions  in  his  life,  so  happy 
as  to  keep  his  somewhat  morbid  tempera- 
ment in  anxiety  lest  the  first  gap  should 
soon  occur. 

Sunday  was  never  complete  at  Nahant, 
or  at  Longwood,  without  the  singing  of 
"  psalm  tunes  "  in  the  evening.  Children 
and  guests  were  all  expected  to  join,  and 
Mr.  Lawrence's  voice  could  always  be  heard 
leading  off  in  "  Dundee,"  "  Federal  Street," 
"  Coronation,"  and  other  familiar  tunes. 

This  letter  to  his  son  suggests  his  old  as- 
sociations with  psalm  singing. 

Sunday  Evening,  April  6,  1873.     LONGWOOD. 

MY  DEAR  SON,  —  We  have  had  half  an 
hour  of  what  I  call  good  music.  Some  peo- 
ple might  dispute  this,  but  they  could  not 
doubt  about  the  sentiment.  There  is  no 
music  better  than  psalm  tunes,  and  no  senti- 
ments higher  than  those  contained  in  the 
poetry  at  the  end  of  the  Prayer  Book,  in  my 
opinion.  How  we  used  to  troll  them  off  at 
Groton  fifty  odd  years  ago.  Sunday  even- 
ing my  grandfather  would  send  out  for  "  Oli- 
ver "  (Wentworth),  who  lived  in  the  cottage 


220  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

beyond  the  barn,  and  who  was  an  humble 
friend  of  my  grandfather  (who  took  him  out 
of  the  poor-house  when  he  was  a  child)  and 
of  his  descendants  for  eighty  years.  Then 
he  would  set  the  tune  and  Oliver  would  sing 
the  tenor  and  my  grandmother  and  Aunt 
Mary  Woodbury  and  Aunt  Eliza  and  we 
boys  and  anybody  else  who  happened  to  be 
there  would  join  in.  I  have  never  heard  any 
music  since  that  struck  my  ear  like  that.  I 
can  hear  Oliver  clearing  his  throat  now  for 
another  effort.  No  doubt  the  old  chap  has 
now  a  seat  somewhere  in  the  heavenly  choir. 
When  we  abandon  the  psalms  and  the  Sun- 
days of  our  forefathers  then  we  shall  be 
carried  away  captive  into  Egypt,  and  we 
shall  never  be  released  except  by  a  miracle. 
Sometimes  it  looks  as  though  that  is  just 
where  we  are  going,  especially  hereabouts. 
We  've  set  up  a  great  light  and  we  think  we 
can  see  into  all  past  and  future  things.  But 
our  lantern  will  be  upset  some  day,  and  we 
shall  be  left  in  Egyptian  darkness,  unless  we 
take  a  back  track  in  time. 

Your  affectionate  father, 

A.  A.  L. 


PERSONAL   TRAITS.  221 

His  wife,  who  was  endowed  with  peculiar 
beauty  and  dignity,  was  the  complement  of 
himself,  strong  where  he  was  weak.  If  his 
sentimental  or  enthusiastic  nature  was  in 
danger  of  leading  him  into  unwise  action, 
her  sturdy  common  sense  held  him  in  check ; 
if  a  nervous  reaction  caused  depression  of 
spirits,  her  even,  well-balanced  temperament 
would  in  time  bring  him  to  a  healthy  view  of 
life.  As  the  greater  part  of  the  cares  of  the 
large  household  fell  to  her,  it  was  fortunate 
that  she  had  the  strength  and  executive  abil- 
ity to  carry  them.  "  If,"  as  he  wrote  to  her 
father,  "  Sarah  had  taken  charge  of  the  com- 
missariat of  the  British  army  when  Miss 
Nightingale  did  of  the  hospitals,  the  war  in 
the  Crimea  would  have  been  better  con- 
ducted than  it  was." 

Mr.  Lawrence,  however,  was  not  one  who 
could  throw  all  the  responsibility  of  his 
children's  care  and  development  of  charac- 
ter upon  the  mother.  Every  morning  they 
were  called  into  his  dressing-room  for  pri- 
vate prayer,  and  in  the  drives  and  Sunday 
walks  he  had  the  faculty  of  interspersing 
the  light  conversation  with  such  remarks  on 
people,  society,  and  character  as  would  lead 
them  to  a  higher  sense  of  duty  and  the 


222  AMOS  A.   LAWRENCE. 

worth  of  life.  Twice  every  Sunday  he  ac- 
companied them  to  church,  and,  that  his  ex- 
ample might  have  its  influence  upon  them 
as  well  as  others,  he  worked  in  the  Sunday- 
school  as  teacher,  superintendent,  or  libra- 
rian. And  if  prevented  from  going  to 
church  a  second  time,  he  sometimes  called 
them  to  his  room  and  there  joined  with  them 
in  prayer.  There  was  no  religious  compul- 
sion in  the  house ;  the  force  of  example  and 
teaching,  joined  with  a  confidence  in  the  chil- 
dren, was  alone  regarded. 

In  the  education  of  his  sons,  he  sent  them 
for  a  time  to  the  public  school  that  they 
might  learn  to  meet  and  respect  boys  of  all 
classes,  and  he  made  them  learn  to  use  car- 
penter's tools,  and  to  care  for  a  horse  or  a 
garden,  that  they  might  appreciate  good 
work  in  others.  He,  fortunately  for  them, 
had  as  little  regard  for  high  scholastic  rank 
as  when  he  was  in  college.  Next  to  the  de- 
velopment of  a  good  character  in  young 
men,  he  esteemed  the  habit  of  a  right  use  of 
money.  He  insisted  on  exact  accounts  in 
earliest  boyhood,  created  a  realization  of  the 
value  of  money  by  paying  interest  on  all 
cash  deposited  with  him,  and,  when  he  had 
tested  the  ability  to  save  as  well  as  spend, 


PERSONAL   TRAITS.  223 

he  gave  such  generous  allowances  that  he 
could  reasonably  and  successfully  ask  that 
savings  and  gifts  to  charities  should  begin 
in  early  days.  When  each  of  his  children 
became  twenty-one,  he  gave  them  unreserv- 
edly a  patrimony  which  would  support  them 
in  comfort  without  any  further  obligation  to 
himself.  He  thus  made  them  independent 
of  their  parents  in  fortune,  and  they  were 
held  to  the  home  only  by  bonds  of  affection 
and  gratitude. 

In  fact,  so  little  did  the  love  of  accumu- 
lation bind  Mr.  Lawrence  that  he  system- 
atically reduced  his  property  the  last  thirty 
years  of  his  life  by  gifts  to  his  children  and 
charitable  or  public  enterprises. 

With  the  property  delivered  to  each  of  his 
children  he  always  sent  some  such  letter  as 
the  following  to  a  daughter :  "  But  after  all, 
it  is  only  yours  in  trust.  It  will  not  be  long 
(though  it  may  seem  otherwise  to  you  now) 
before  you  will  be  called  to  give  an  account 
of  the  whole  of  it.  May  God  help  you  to  use 
it  and  all  your  advantages  so  as  to  render 
an  account  that  will  be  acceptable  to  Him. 
You  have  been  a  dutiful  and  loving  daugh- 
ter, for  which  I  thank  God  every  day  of  my 
life." 


224  AMOS  A.   LAWRENCE. 

Or  this  to  his  elder  son :  — 

"  This  property  with  your  profession  will 
give  you  a  good  living,  and  will  enable  you 
to  lay  up  something  before  you  have  a 
family  of  your  own,  and  against  '  a  rainy 
day.'  But  it  is  not  possible  for  me  to  en- 
rich my  children  nor  even  to  give  them  such 
a  kind  of  support  as  some  people  think  is 
necessary  in  these  extravagant  times,  nor  am 
I  sorry  for  it.  On  the  contrary,  I  am  glad 
that  my  children  should  have  the  stimulus 
to  exertion  which  I  myself  had.  Labor  has 
been  to  me  one  of  the  greatest  enjoyments  of 
my  life,  and  one  of  my  greatest  blessings, 
and  I  hope  it  may  be  theirs. 

"  You  cannot  expect  to  be  so  long  and  so 
abundantly  blessed  as  I  have  been  ;  but  you 
will  be  spared  from  some  hardships  which 
fall  on  those  who  begin  life  poor.  Property 
is  a  trust ;  and  it  affords  more  or  less  pleas- 
ure in  proportion  to  the  fidelity  with  which 
we  administer  it." 

In  the  education  of  his  daughters  there 
was  one  burden  that  hung  heavily  on  him 
through  life  —  the  aimless  existence  which 
social  conventionality  gives  to  the  young 
woman  after  her  school  days.  In  this,  as  in 
the  strict  observance  of  Sunday  and  a  love 


PERSONAL    TRAITS.  225 

of  simplicity  in  dress,  he  exhibited  something 
of  his  Puritan  ancestry. 

He  had  no  patience  with  those  fashionable 
people  who,  as  he  used  to  say,  debauched 
the  young  with  late  hours  and  excitement. 
Writing  to  his  daughter  he  said :  "  If  any 
of  the  family  went  to  the  party,  I  hope 
they  set  an  example  of  plain  dressing  and 
early  hours.  If  anything  can  be  out  of  place 
at  Nahant,  it  will  be  trailing  dresses  in  the 
scanty  space  of  the  cottages  arid  party  hours 
of  the  city.  We  dry  goods  importers  and 
stocking  weavers  make  ourselves  and  our 
families  ridiculous  when  we  ape  the  fash- 
ions of  foreign  courts.  Don't  you  agree  to 
that  ?  If  you  don't  you  will  when  you  have 
seen  what  the  world  is  made  of." 

A  useful  or  refining  occupation  was,  in  his 
opinion,  one  of  the  necessaries  of  life.  With 
that  feeling  he  wrote  to  a  niece  who  was 
travelling  in  Europe  and  who  afterwards  de- 
veloped a  remarkable  taste  in  embroidery. 

MY  DEAR ,  —  The  handsomest  present 

that  I  have  received  for  a  long  time  was  sent 
to  me  the  other  day  by  a  delightful  lady  now 
eighty  years  old,  Mrs.  Guild,  of  Brookline, 
a  sister  of  Mrs.  Ticknor.  It  is  the  picture 


226  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

of  a  young  robin,  rather  larger  than  life, 
beautifully  drawn  and  painted.  It  is  the 
best  robin  I  ever  saw.  Mr.  Audubon  could 
not  have  done  it  better.  What  a  great 
pleasure  it  must  be  for  this  ancient  lady  to 
be  exercising  herself  in  this  elegant  manner. 
How  much  more  elevating  and  refining, 
than  in  darning  an  old  pair  of  stockings,  or 
in  taking  snuff  and  tea,  and  talking  about 
one's  neighbors.  If  you  have  not  yet  dis- 
covered any  particular  taste  which  you  can 
indulge  and  cultivate,  perhaps  by  looking  a 
little  more  carefully  you  will  meet  with  suc- 
cess. And  then  you  will  have  great  pleas- 
ure in  doing  what  you  find  yourself  doing  so 
well.  You  will  be  pleased  to  excel  others ; 
you  will  enjoy  the  admiration  of  friends  and 
of  others.  But  above  all  you  will  be  pleased 
to  find  yourself  doing  good,  and  improving 
that  talent  which  the  good  Lord  has  given 
you.  Good-by  my  darling. 

Your  affectionate  uncle  Lawrence. 

That  the  evil  of  aimless  lives  was  not  to  be 
met  by  the  collegiate  education  of  women, 
would  seem  to  be  his  opinion  (  which  was 
somewhat  modified  in  later  years),  from  a  let- 
ter in  connection  with  co-education  in  Kansas 


PERSONAL   TRAITS.  227 

University.  "  I  think  there  never  has  been 
and  never  will  be  a  high  standard  of  learn- 
ing in  an  institution  where  the  sexes  are 
instructed  together.  Such  institutions  may 
be  tolerable  academies,  but  never  will  be 
first-class  colleges.  I  have  no  faith  in  the 
utility  of  giving  diplomas  to  women,  except 
for  good  housewifery,  for  courage,  and  for 
rearing  good  families  of  children." 

He  was  not  only  courteous  to  his  servants, 
but  he  had  a  personal  interest  in  each,  and  in 
his  conversation  with  them  would  vary  his  an- 
ecdotes with  friendly  advice  in  such  a  way  as 
to  gain  their  confidence  and  affection.  They 
always  were  welcomed  to  family  prayers,  and 
he  would  not  begin  to  read  the  Bible  until 
he  was  assured  that  some  were  present.  He 
followed,  with  interest,  the  lives  of  those  who 
had  once  served  in  the  house,  and  for  the 
thirty  last  years  of  his  life,  regularly  visited 
the  nurse  of  his  children. 

His  sense  of  kinship  was  very  strong.  He 
corresponded  with  relatives  whom  he  had  not 
seen  for  a  generation.  To  one  of  them  he 
writes  :  "  As  time  wears  on  and  we  form  new 
attachments,  we  think  of  old  friends  less  of- 
ten, but  the  memory  of  and  love  for  blood 
relations  can  never  be  obliterated.  It  comes 


228  AMOS  A.   LAWRENCE. 

over  one  in  solitude  and  sickness  with  a  force 
that  is  not  known  in  the  bustle  of  business 
and  the  rounds  of  daily  life."  A  family 
quarrel  was,  in  his  opinion,  the  most  needless 
and  wicked  form  of  selfishness. 

There  was  one  bond  of  kinship  which  was 
of  peculiar  strength  and  tenderness. 

With  the  death  of  their  father,  in  1852, 
his  brother  William  and  he  were  left  the 
only  representatives  of  that  branch  of  the 
family.  The  affection  which,  up  to  this  time, 
had  bound  them  together  developed  into  a 
closeness  of  thought,  sympathy,  and  senti- 
ment which  steadily  strengthened  for  over 
thirty  years.  His  brother,  who  had  been  a 
traveller  of  wide  experience  and  some  adven- 
ture, and  who  was  endowed  with  a  fund  of 
anecdote  and  wit,  had  somewhat  remarkable 
social  traits.  He  became  a  physician  and 
immediately  devoted  his  skill  to  the  poor, 
and  in  their  interest  was  very  active  in  the 
organization  of  the  Boston  Dispensary.  Be- 
sides publishing  his  father's  "  Diary  and 
Correspondence,"  he  wrote  a  book  on  the 
"  Charities  of  France,"  in  the  hope  of  giving 
American  charities  the  benefit  of  the  French- 
men's experience.  Ill  health  called  him  to 
Europe  continually  after  his  marriage ;  but 


PERSONAL  TRAITS.  229 

while  at  home  he  gave  strength  and  time  to 
charities  and  religious  work,  especially  the 
organization  of  Emmanuel  Church.  His 
house  011  Arlington  Street  was  the  centre 
of  such  forms  of  activity. 

A  regular  correspondence  during  Wil- 
liam's absence  and  an  almost  daily  call  when 
living  at  home,  kept  the  brothers  in  constant 
sympathy.  A  slight  illness  of  one  brought 
the  other  immediately  to  his  side.  Each 
gave  to  the  other's  charitable  or  patriotic  in- 
terests. In  the  development  of  Longwood 
they  worked  and  owned  together.  When 
therefore,  in  1867,  Dr.  Lawrence  built  a 
home  next  to  his  brother  in  Longwood,  it 
seemed  to  be  the  last  touch  to  their  blessings, 
and  Mr.  Lawrence's  record  of  the  fact  closes 
with  the  words,  "  May  God  bless  our  declin- 
ing years  and  unite  us  hereafter ;  and  those 
whom  we  have  loved  with  those  whom  we 
so  much  love  now." 


XIII. 

PHILANTHROPIC    INTERESTS. 

HAVING  suggested  a  few  of  the  more  per- 
sonal traits  of  Mr.  Lawrence  in  the  maturity 
of  His  life,  we  may  now  return  to  the  record 
of  his  interests  and  activities. 

The  echo  of  the  last  shot  of  the  war  had 
hardly  died  away  before  the  alumni  of  Har- 
vard College  met  to  arrange  for  the  recep- 
tion of  their  brethren  who  had  been  in  the 
army.  From  that  there  naturally  sprang 
the  thought  of  a  memorial,  and  by  August, 
1865,  Mr.  Lawrence  had  recorded  "  several 
meetings  of  a  college  committee  to  erect  a 
Memorial  Hall  in  honor  of  those  of  the  col- 
lege who  fell  in  the  war."  He  was  made  a 
chairman  of  the  finance  committee,  which 
immediately  entered  upon  the  task  of  rais- 
ing the  money.  Daily  committee  meetings, 
the  enthusiasm  and  untiring  industry  of 
Charles  G.  Loring,  J.  Ingersoll  Bowditch, 
Stephen  M.  Weld,  Henry  B.  Rogers,  Henry 
Lee,  and  other  loyal  sons  of  the  college,  soon 
brought  about  happy  results. 


-o~-^«5i^Ba**sSS» 


PHILANTHROPIC  INTERESTS.  231 

On  February  2,  1866,  Mr.  Lawrence 
wrote :  "  Theodore  Lyman  came  to  offer 
85,000  for  building  Memorial  Hall  at  Cam- 
bridge, if  twenty  can  be  found  to  do  the 
same." 

A  letter  to  one  of  the  older  alumni  tells 
the  story  of  the  earliest  subscriptions  to  the 
fund,  which  (with  the  Sanders  bequest  and 
other  gifts)  finally  reached  the  unexpected 
amount  of  $387,000. 

BOSTON,  February  28,  1866. 

MY  DEAR  SIR,  —  Mr.  Eichardson  of  Cam- 
bridge, who  lost  a  son  in  the  war,  says  that 
he  will  be  one  of  twenty  to  give  $5,000  each 
to  build  the  Memorial  Hall  of  the  alumni. 
Mr.  E.  R.  Mudge,  who  lost  his  oldest  son  in 
the  same  way,  offers  the  same.  Theodore 
Lyman,  who  served  three  years  and  more, 
offers  $5,000.  Nathan  Appleton,  who  served 
three  years,  does  the  same. 

Now  these  are  not  the  men  to  build  it. 
The  two  first  are  not  alumni,  and  they  have 
already  given  to  their  country  what  is  dearer 
than  their  own  lives  ;  the  other  two  have  of- 
fered their  lives ;  and  have  endured  hardship, 
and  have  incurred  expense,  while  most  of 
us  alumni  were  living  at  ease.  I  have  pro- 


232  AMOS  A.   LAWRENCE. 

posed,  and  it  is  agreed  to  by  the  committee, 
that  the  subscribers  may  pay  in  instalments, 
one  fifth  every  year.  By  this  last  I  am  in- 
duced to  subscribe  $5,000.  This  is  hard 
work  and  slow.  But  if  we  get  twenty,  then 
we  may  be  assured  of  the  rest. 

My  object  in  writing  this  is  to  seize  hold 
of  your  love  for  Alma  Mater,  and  to  ask  you 
whether,  if  we  get  nineteen  names,  you  will 
be  the  twentieth  subscriber.  This  would  en- 
courage us  very  much. 

Very  truly  yours, 

A.  A.  L. 

The  motive  of  the  work  is  expressed  in  a 
letter  to  bis  cousin,  James  Lawrence,  from 
whom  he  was  asking  for  a  subscription.  "  It 
seems  to  be  the  least  that  we  can  do,  who 
did  not  go  to  the  war,  to  commemorate  the 
virtues  of  those  who  did  go,  and  especially 
of  those  who  marched  and  fought  and  died 
while  we  were  comfortable  at  home." 

Under  the  inspiration  of  this  motive,  the 
noble  Memorial  Hall  was  erected,  and 
through  the  energies  of  Messrs.  C.  W. 
Eliot,  Lee,  and  Bowditch,  and  of  Mr.  Law- 
rence, who  added  efficient  financial  support, 
the  college  was  furnished  with  a  far  better 


PHILANTHROPIC  INTERESTS.         233 

play-ground  than  the  Delta  on  which  the  hall 
stands. 

The  next  two  objects  of  Mr.  Lawrence's 
activity  have  to  do  with  his  religious  and 
church  life. 

His  journals  and  letters  reveal  a  simple 
faith,  a  deep,  personal  piety,  and  a  realiza- 
tion of  the  heavenly  life  which  are  as  diffi- 
cult to  attain  as  they  are  rare  among  men 
who,  like  himself,  move  in  the  midst  of  busi- 
ness, political,  and  social  activities.  As  long 
as  he  lived  in  Boston,  he  attended  St.  Paul's 
Church,  of  which  he  was  the  treasurer  for 
several  years.  For  some  time  after  his  re- 
moval to  Longwood,  his  loyalty  to  St.  Paul's 
and  devotion  to  Dr.  Vinton  led  him  to  go 
to  Boston  to  service.  But,  wishing  always 
to  take  his  family,  he  found  it  more  conven- 
ient to  go  to  St.  Paul's  Church,  Brookline, 
where,  as  usual,  he  did  work  as  vestryman 
and  in  the  Sunday-school.  The  sympathetic 
nature  of  Mr.  Lawrence  was  never  content 
with  official  pastoral  association.  Between 
himself  and  his  minister  there  always  ex- 
isted such  friendly  and  personal  relations  as 
made  him  almost  as  necessary  to  them  as 
they  were  to  him.  These  few  lines  from  his 
journal  suggest  the  tenderness  of  the  rela- 
tions :  — 


234  AMOS  A.   LAWRENCE. 

"  October  7,  1853.  Friday  morning  at 
six  was  sent  for  by  Rev.  Dr.  Stone ;  has- 
tened to  his  house ;  went  up-stairs  and  into 
his  chamber;  found  him  sitting  up  in  bed 
partially  paralyzed.  I  put  my  arm  around 
him  and  endeavored  to  encourage  him  ;  and 
he  soon  appeared  to  rally  his  spirits.  I 
asked  him  if  he  wished  to  send  for  any  of 
his  friends,  Mr.  Upham,  Mr.  Aspinwall,  or 
others.  He  answered,  '  No,  Amos,  you  are 
friend  enough  for  me,'  throwing  his  arms 
about  my  neck." 

In  fact  the  same  regard  for  ministers  of 
high  character  and  varied  creeds  which 
made  his  father  the  friend  of  President 
Mark  Hopkins,  Dr.  Palfrey,  Dr.  Lothrop, 
Father  Taylor,  Father  Mathew,  and  others, 
seemed  to  descend  to  the  son. 

His  house  was  always  open  to  the  cler- 
gymen of  the  younger  as  well  as  the  older 
generation,  but,  with  few  exceptions,  his 
friendship  was  confined  to  the  latter.  Bishop 
Eastburn  was  for  years  his  next-door  neigh- 
bor, and  into  his  house  Mr.  Lawrence  car- 
ried the  dying  form  of  Bishop  Griswold,  who 
had  fallen  at  the  steps.  Drs.  Vinton,  Stone, 
Lothrop,  Wharton,  Peabody,  and  Professor 
Packard  were  all  close  to  him  in  friendly  or 


PHILANTHROPIC  INTERESTS.         235 

intimate  sympathy.  Dr.  Mark  Hopkins 
made  an  annual  visit.  Dr.  Henry  C.  Potter 
was  his  nearest  neighbor  as  long  as  he  was 
assistant  minister  of  Trinity  Church.  Of 
him  Mr.  Lawrence  at  that  time  wrote  :  "  He 
is  a  finished  writer  and  preacher,  and  fine- 
looking.  If  he  has  his  health,  he  will  be  a 
noted  divine  of  our  church  and  a  bishop." 
To  Cottage  Farm,  Bishop  Paddock  first 
came  after  his  election ;  and  he  was  one  of 
the  last  guests  before  the  death  of  Mr.  Law- 
rence at  Nahant. 

Two  old  saints  he  kept  near  him  to  give, 
as  it  were,  a  benediction  to  his  office  and  to 
his  home.  On  account  of  his  kindly  rela- 
tions with  the  venerable  city  missionary,  Dr. 
E.  M.  P.  Wells,  Mr.  Lawrence  became  the 
guardian  of  the  small  fund  provided  for  his 
personal  needs  ;  for,  like  the  saints  of  old, 
the  doctor  gave  away  everything.  He  was 
therefore  a  frequent  visitor  at  the  office,  and 
many  an  hour  was  snatched  from  business 
to  listen  to  his  holy  conversation.  "If 
Father  Wells  does  not  get  to  heaven,  then 
none  of  us  can  expect  to  reach  that  much- 
expected  home.  He  is  eighty  years  old,  I  be- 
lieve. He  lost  everything  by  the  fire  ;  but  he 
says  he  gained  more  than  he  lost,  i.  e.,  grace  : 


236  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

the  other  could  not  help  him  long."  In 
Longwood,  the  oldest  presbyter  in  the  dio- 
cese lived  and  died  in  a  house  provided  by 
Mr.  Lawrence,  who  took  even  more  satisfac- 
tion in  presence  of  his  neighbor  than  did  the 
grateful  clergyman  in  the  comfort  of  his 
home. 

The  same  hatred  of  wasted  spiritual  en- 
ergies which  moved  him  as  a  young  man  at 
Bedford,  where  many  churches  were  built  for 
the  few  inhabitants,  followed  him  through 
life.  It  was  from  this  point  of  view  that  he 
criticised  and  avoided  sectarianism.  It  was 
more  than  unchristian;  it  was  unbusiness- 
like. In  1870,  finding  his  name  attached  to 
an  appeal  for  an  organization  which  he  felt 
would  provoke  partisanship,  he  wrote :  — 

MY  DEAK  SIR,  —  The  Church  consists  of 
all  those  who  love  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and 
obey  his  precepts.  And  of  all  the  denomi- 
nations into  which,  through  human  weakness 
and  ignorance,  it  has  become  divided,  I  be- 
lieve the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  is  the 
best.  On  that  account  I  joined  it  nearly 
forty  years  ago,  and  my  love  for  it  has  in- 
creased ever  since.  But  this  does  not  pre- 
vent my  loving  Christians  of  other  denomi- 


PHILANTHROPIC  INTERESTS.         237 

nations  and  acting  with  them ;  and  especially 
it  does  not  prevent  my  living  and  acting 
with  those  of  my  own  denomination  who  en- 
tertain opinions  in  which  there  are  "  shades 
of  difference."  No  doubt  this  movement  to 
make  all  men  of  one  mind  will  gain  adher- 
ents, and  churchmen  may  become  so  hostile 
to  each  other  as  to  divide  the  Church  many 
times ;  but  all  this  will  not  make  men  agree, 
nor  will  it  advance  the  truth  nor  the  cause 
of  religion. 

Holding  these  views,  my  name  is  out  of 
place  in  your  organization. 

With  sentiments  of   esteem  for  yourself 
and  for  the  other  gentlemen  of  the  board, 
I  remain  your  obedient  servant, 
A.  A.  L. 

It  was  in  this  spirit  that,  when  he  found 
the  Methodists  established  in  Wisconsin,  he 
placed  the  funds  of  Lawrence  University  in 
their  hands.  When  he  went  to  a  village  or 
summer  resort  where  there  was  but  one 
church,  he  always  worshipped  in  that.  When 
prevented  by  storm  from  attending  his  own 
church  at  Lynn,  he  was  to  be  seen  in  the 
Methodist  meeting-house  listening  to  the 
local  preacher,  or  a  negro  exhorter.  For 


238  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

some  months  he  was  a  teacher  in  the  church 
founded  by  Mr.  Sears,  the  "  Searsarian 
Church,"  as  Mr.  Lawrence  used  to  call  it. 
He  would  never  allow  himself  to  be  class- 
ified with  a  party,  and  was  one  of  the  first 
vice  -  presidents  of  the  Church  Congress, 
which  he  felt  would  lead  to  mutual  under- 
standing and  forbearance. 

It  was  also  a  satisfaction  to  him  that,  at 
the  General  Convention  of  1865,  to  which 
he  was  a  delegate,  there  occurred  the  recon- 
ciliation of  the  church,  which  had  been  di- 
vided by  the  war. 

When  party  feeling  was  running  high,  he 
wrote  to  his  daughter,  who,  while  at  school 
in  New  York,  attended  St.  George's  Church, 
of  which  Dr.  Tyng  was  rector :  — 

"  October  12,  1869.  Rev.  Dr.  Tyng  has 
written  a  remarkable  letter.  He  is  a  zeal- 
ous man.  But  he  is  a  revolutionist.  He  is 
in  favor  of  making  a  new  Prayer  Book,  and 
of  throwing  away  the  old  one.  This,  he 
thinks,  will  make  a  new  church.  I  guess  it 
will.  But  it  will  not  be  a  large  one.  It  will 
rather  be  an  offshoot  of  a  gnarly  growth 
from  the  parent  church,  and  what  used  to  be 
called  a  schism,  and  that  is  the  right  name 
for  it.  The  doctor  is  a  good  Tyng  ;  but  he 


PHILANTHROPIC  INTERESTS.  239 

is  a  '  Tyng '  nevertheless.  If  you  were  a 
hundred  years  old,  you  would  know  what 
that  means.  I  don't  believe  in  making  di- 
visions in  the  Church,  but  in  healing  them. 
Protestantism  is  sometimes  called  a  failure 
because  it  has  led  to  the  formation  of  many 
sects.  We  should  have  charity  for  each 
other,  and  agree  to  differ  about  minor 
things." 

The  church  at  Nahant  was  a  source  of  great 
satisfaction  to  him.  The  preachers,  Sunday 
after  Sunday,  are  of  different  denominations, 
and  the  worshippers  conform  to  the  manner 
of  worship  of  the  denomination  represented 
by  the  preacher.  For  many  years  two  dea- 
cons were  chosen  to  invite  and  entertain  the 
ministers.  Mr.  Lawrence  always  took  his 
turn  as  deacon,  and  looked  forward  with 
pleasure  to  the  entertainment  of  the  clergy- 
men. He  always  spoke  with  great  satisfac- 
tion of  the  fact  that  for  over  fifty  years 
people  of  different  creeds  had  worshipped 
together  without  a  jar,  and  he  gave  his  sup- 
port to  the  church  as  an  outpost  of  Christian 
unity.  In  memory  of  his  interest  and  bene- 
factions the  proprietors  have  placed  a  tablet 
in  the  wall  of  the  church. 

By  1867   Longwood    had  developed  into 


240  AMOS  A.   LAWRENCE. 

quite  a  community.  With  a  sense  of  respon- 
sibility for  the  spritual  welfare  of  the  people 
whom  they  had  drawn  together,  Mr.  Law- 
rence and  his  brother  joined  in  building  a 
stone  church  in  memory  of  their  father.  In 
March,  1868,  it  was  consecrated  under  the 
name  of  "  The  Church  of  our  Saviour,"  and 
was  presented  to  a  corporation,  to  be  held 
in  trust.  With  a  wish  to  interest  the  people 
in  the  work,  Mr.  Lawrence  and  his  brother 
persistently  refused  to  be  conspicuous  in  the 
church,  and,  when  possible,  sat  far  back,  that 
there  might  be  no  thought  on  the  part  of 
others  of  proprietorship.  For  years  a  good 
part  of  the  financial  burden  fell  upon  them  ; 
but,  while  always  taking  it,  their  object  was 
to  educate  the  people  into  a  sense  of  respon- 
sibility in  the  support  of  public  worship. 

As  early  as  1852  Mr.  Lawrence  had  urged 
the  building  of  galleries  in  St.  Paul's  Church, 
Boston,  that  seats  might  be  made  for  poor 
persons.  Therefore,  with  a  desire  to  do 
everything  to  make  the  building  a  church 
for  all  the  people,  the  brothers  entered  with 
enthusiasm  some  years  later  into  making  all 
the  seats  free.  During  the  last  year  of  his 
life,  while  Mrs.  Lawrence  was  giving  a  stone 
rectory,  he  presented  some  property  to  be 


PHILANTHROPIC  INTERESTS.          241 

held  in  trust  for  the  preservation  and  sup- 
port of  the  church. 

It  was  a  sight  seen  oftener  in  old  Eng- 
land than  in  this  country,  —  the  two  vener- 
able brothers  with  their  families  joining  the 
group  of  neighbors,  as  they  walked  to  the 
door  of  the  memorial  church,  then  worship- 
ping together  like  one  large  family.  On 
week-days  as  well  as  Sundays,  they  might 
both  be  found  with  the  little  company  of 
faithful  worshippers.  As  if  to  continue 
their  close  association  there,  a  memorial  tab- 
let records  their  names,  with  the  inscrip- 
tion :  — 

TOGETHER  THEY  BUILT  THIS  CHURCH  IN  MEM- 
ORY OF  THEIR  FATHER,  AMOS  LAWRENCE. 

LOVELY  AND  PLEASANT  IN  THEIR  LIVES,  AND 
IN  THEIR  DEATH  THEY  WERE  NOT  DIVIDED. 

Early  in  1867  Mr.  Benjamin  T.  Reed  gave 
$100,000  towards  the  foundation  of  an  Epis- 
copal Theological  School,  and,  having  the  in- 
tention of  finally  devoting  his  whole  fortune 
to  the  object,  he  called  about  him  a  board 
of  five  trustees,  composed  of  Robert  C. 
Winthrop,  James  S.  Amory,  Edward  S. 
Rand,  J.  P.  Putnam,  and  Mr.  Lawrence. 

The  munificence  of  the  gift  and  its  reli- 
gious object  appealed  to  the  interest  of  Mr. 


242  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

Lawrence.  Moreover,  in  the  plan  he  saw  a 
long-desired  opportunity  to  bring  a  more 
positive  religious  element  into  the  neighbor- 
hood of  Harvard  College.  The  religious  in- 
fluences at  Cambridge  had  been  a  source  of 
anxiety  to  him,  and  he  had  always  felt 
that  the  identification  of  a  Unitarian  Divin- 
ity School  with  the  college  was  a  positive 
injury  to  both,  and  as  a  member  of  the  cor- 
poration he  had  urged  some  change.  When, 
therefore,  the  question  of  a  site  for  the  The- 
ological School  was  raised,  and  when  some  of 
Mr.  Reed's  friends  advised  strongly  against 
Cambridge  on  account  of  its  Unitarian  and 
negative  religious  influence,  Mr.  Lawrence 
joined  with  others  in  pressing  the  establish- 
ment of  the  site  in  Cambridge,  and  as  near 
the  college  as  possible.  They  felt  convinced 
(and  experience  has  justified  their  convic- 
tion) that  the  contact  with  the  university 
life  would  be  an  advantage  to  the  school, 
and  that  the  school  and  its  chapel  might 
exert '  a  positive  influence  upon  the  life  of 
the  university.  As  usual,  the  position  of 
treasurer,  which  he  continued  to  hold  for 
fifteen  years,  fell  to  his  lot,  and  he  again 
took  up  his  rides  through  the  Cambridge 
roads  which  had  been  so  familiar  to  him 


PHILANTHROPIC  INTERESTS.          243 

when  treasurer  of  the  college.  His  satisfac- 
tion in  the  work  was  enhanced  by  the  re- 
newed association  with  two  of  his  old  pas- 
tors, Drs.  Stone  and  Wharton,  who  were 
called  to  fill  chairs  in  the  new  institution. 
His  familiarity  with  the  place  made  him  ac- 
tive in  the  selection  of  sites,  and  in  180  9 
the  school  laid  its  permanent  foundations  in 
its  present  beautiful  position,  the  choice  of 
which  was  hastened  by  the  offer  by  his  old 
partner,  Eobert  M.  Mason,  to  build  St. 
John's  Memorial  Chapel. 

Mr.  Lawrence  determined  to  mark  his 
gratitude  for  thirty  years  of  exceptional 
blessings  in  the  way  expressed  in  this  letter 
to  the  trustees  of  the  school :  — 

(Near)  BOSTON,  June  23,  1873. 
GENTLEMEN,  —  More  than  a  year  ago,  on 
the  anniversary  of  my  marriage,  I  was  so 
much  impressed  with  the  remembrance  of 
the  great  goodness  of  God  to  myself  and  my 
numerous  family,  during  the  thirty  years 
which  have  elapsed  without  any  cessation  to 
our  prosperity  and  happiness,  that  I  wished 
to  make  some  acknowledgment,  and  to  have 
some  permanent,  and  if  possible  some  use- 
ful memorial  of  it. 


244  AMOS  A.   LAWRENCE. 

Therefore,  after  purchasing  the  requisite 
amount  of  land,  I  commenced  the  building 
of  a  dormitory  for  the  use  of  our  theolog- 
ical students,  corresponding  with  the  chapel 
and  with  the  plan  of  building  adopted  by 
the  trustees.  Before  the  next  meeting  this 
work  will  be  done  so  far  as  to  accommodate 
twenty  students,  and  the  rooms  will  be  fur- 
nished. At  a  future  time,  if  it  should  be 
required,  I  may  complete  the  design  by  add- 
ing twenty  rooms  more. 

Meantime,  having  placed  a  brief  inscrip- 
tion over  the  entrance,  to  indicate  the  cir- 
cumstances which  conduced  to  its  erection, 
I  beg  to  present  the  whole  to  the  trustees, 
in  the  hope  that  it  will  be  useful  in  advan- 
cing the  cause  for  which  we  are  associated, 
and  which  we  all  have  at  heart. 

Faithfully  yours,  A.  A.  L. 

In  1873  the  first  half  of  the  building  was 
completed,  and  in  1880  the  second  half  was 
added,  making  one  side  of  the  open  quad- 
rangle, which,  with  the  chapel  and  other 
buildings  since  presented  by  Mr.  Reed  and 
Mr.  John  A.  Burnham,  now  form  a  pictur- 
esque group  of  stone. 

Over  the  door  of  the  dormitory  stands  this 
inscription :  — 


PHILANTHROPIC  INTERESTS.  245 

IN  •  MEMOKIAM  '    STTMMJR  • 
DEI  '  BENEVOLENTLY 

PRLD  '  KAL  '  APRIL  •  M  D  CCC  LXXII  * 

During  the  term  of  his  treasurership,  Mr. 
Lawrence  had  the  usual  privilege  of  advan- 
cing money  and  helping  to  make  up  deficits, 
but  he  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the 
school  develop  in  strength  far  beyond  the 
expectation  of  its  founder. 


XIV. 

MATURE     YEARS. 

1867-1882. 

IN  1867  the  active  routine  of  twenty-five 
years  had  begun  to  affect  Mr.  Lawrence's 
health  ;  he  had  the  first  sharp  warnings  of  in- 
digestion, neuralgia,  and  depression  of  spirits, 
and  by  the  doctor's  advice  decided  to  pass  a 
summer  in  Europe.  His  social  disposition 
never  allowed  him  to  travel  alone  ;  the  larger 
the  party  the  more  he  enjoyed  a  journey.  If 
at  any  time  a  trip  to  the  South  or  West  was 
advised  by  the  physician  (and  a  physician's 
advice  alone  could  drive  him  from  home),  he 
called  on  some  friends  to  make  up  a  com- 
pany. His  cousin,  Dr.  Samuel  A.  Green, 
was  always  ready  to  start  with  him,  or  with 
any  of  his  family,  at  twenty -four  hours' 
notice.  On  this  summer  journey,  in  which 
he  renewed  the  memories  of  his  bachelor 
travels,  he  had  a  family  party  of  twelve, 
which  partially  compensated  him  for  the  loss 


MATURE   YEARS.  247 

of  home  life  ;  though  even  under  these  cir- 
cumstances he  felt  restless  and  sometimes 
homesick  until  he  recrossed  the  Channel  and 
was  driving  through  the  homelike  fields  and 
lanes  of  England.  The  break  of  routine 
enabled  him  to  return  refreshed  to  added 
responsibilities. 

The  business  of  the  Cocheco  and  Salmon 
Falls  Companies  had  increased  very  much  on 
Mr.  Lawrence's  hands,  but  experience  and 
system  had  put  them  into  such  shape  that 
he  was  able  to  enlarge  his  work.  Feeling 
that  this  country  ought  not  to  be  dependent 
upon  others  for  the  clothing  of  her  people, 
and  believing  that  the  skill  and  industry  of 
the  New  Englander  would,  if  temporarily 
protected,  produce  cheaper  and  better  goods 
than  Old  England  could  supply,  he  was 
tempted  to  become  a  manufacturer  as  well 
as  a  commission  merchant  and  a  farmer. 

Therefore  in  1860  he  bought  a  mill  at  Ips- 
wich for  the  manufacture  of  hosiery  and 
other  knit  goods.  But  the  industry  was  a 
new  one  in  this  country,  the  machinery  was 
crude,  the  labor  unskilled,  and  the  American 
people  had  not  realized  that  hosiery  could 
be  made  here,  and  therefore  refused  to  buy 
anything  with  an  American  mark.  The 


248  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

experiment  resulted  at  first  in  heavy  and 
steady  losses.  For  years  Ipswich  was  a  recep- 
tacle for  profits  from  other  sources.  In  Jan- 
uary, 1868,  Mr.  Lawrence  wrote :  "Am  start- 
ing up  my  mill  at  Ipswich  again,  which  has 
been  stopped  for  a  few  weeks.  This  attempt 
to  manufacture  cotton  stockings  by  machin- 
ery so  that  they  can  be  sold  at  $1.50  a  dozen 
has  caused  me  to  lose  not  less  than  $100  a 
day  for  800  days,  $80,000.  Yet  I  am  not 
discouraged,  though  I  feel  the  loss  very  much, 
for  I  want  a  great  deal  of  money  to  use." 
If  at  any  time  for  several  years  he  was 
attacked  with  indigestion,  it  was  his  habit  to 
lay  it,  with  good  reason,  to  "  too  much  Ips- 
wich." 

However,  after  a  hard  and  persistent 
struggle  of  twenty  years,  he  had  the  satis- 
faction of  seeing  his  object  gained,  cheap 
American  stockings  and  other  knit  goods 
sold  by  the  million  to  the  American  people. 
And  it  was  with  the  greatest  pleasure  that 
he  saw  his  friends  and  family  buying  goods 
of  his  own  manufacture  under  the  impres- 
sion given  by  the  salesmen  at  the  retail  shop 
that  they  were  French  or  English.  This  in- 
terest, which  was  increased  later  by  the  pur- 
chase of  the  Gilmanton  and  Ashland  Mills 


MATURE    YEARS.  249 

in  New  Hampshire,  made  him  the  largest 
knit  goods  manufacturer  in  the  country  and 
led  him  to  encourage  the  formation  of  the 
Association  of  Knit  Goods  Manufacturers,  of 
which  he  was  president  for  some  time,  as  he 
had  been  of  the  National  Association  of  Cot- 
ton Manufacturers  and  Planters. 

In  1870  he  also  took  the  selling  agency 
of  the  Arlington  Mills  in  Lawrence,  which 
increased  rapidly  and  added  to  his  responsi- 
bility. 

The  manufacture  of  knit  goods  brought 
him  into  closer  relations  than  ever  with  the 
tariff  question,  and  caused  his  recommen- 
dations to  have  great  weight  in  the  con- 
struction of  the  earlier  knit  goods  tariff  bills. 
Few  things  are  more  dreary  than  the  rehear- 
sal of  tariff  discussions;  it  may  be  enough, 
therefore,  to  say  that  Mr.  Lawrence,  in  the 
earlier  part  of  his  business  life,  advocated  a 
high  tariff  for  the  protection  of  infant  in- 
dustries, but  as  years  passed  he  believed  in 
the  gradual  reduction  of  that  protection, 
and  in  later  years  he  was  very  positive  in 
the  advocacy  of  more  moderate  "duties,  es- 
pecially on  raw  materials. 

In  all  his  business  relations  Mr.  Law- 
rence was  quick  to  decide  and  to  act ;  be- 


250  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

sides  judgment,  he  had  that  other  trait  nec- 
essary to  success  in  business  —  courage  ;  he 
readily  caught  the  point  of  a  problem,  and 
was  restless  until  it  was  answered.  He 
would  chafe. at  listening  to  an  explanation 
which  was  a  few  minutes  too  long,  and  then 
would  turn  to  sit  patiently  for  a  half  an 
hour  while  some  missionary  from  the  West 
or  an  agent  of  a  charitable  society  would 
slowly  unfold  his  tale.  Experience  led  him 
to  believe  more  and  more  in  system,  and  to 
shrink  from  attending  to  details  himself. 

Writing  to  his  elder  sou,  who  had  just 
entered  business  with  him,  he  said,  "  Losses 
are  made  in  a  day,  while  profits  are  a  long 
time  accumulating.  Let  us  adopt  a  good 
system  and  then  not  be  anxious  about  re- 
sults." "  It  is  not  easy  to  save  money  in 
commission  and  manufacturing  business,  and 
much  skill  and  judgment  are  required  in 
both.  The  cause  is  this,  that  it  is  difficult 
to  avoid  losses,  much  more  difficult  than  it 
is  to  make  profits.  I  am  led  to  make  this 
remark  from  looking  over  L.  &  Co.'s  trial 
balance." 

The  faculty  of  quick  decision  and  system- 
atizing enabled  Mr.  Lawrence  to  bring  the 
hours  of  his  own  business  into  a  very  short 


MATURE   YEARS.  251 

compass.  The  greater  part  of  office  hours 
was  given  to  other  people's  affairs.  Besides 
the  public  interests  already  described,  he  was 
active  in  establishing  a  line  of  steamships 
from  Boston  to  New  Orleans  and  was  presi- 
dent of  the  company ;  he  was  also  the  first 
president  of  the  New  England  Trust  Com- 
pany, and  a  director  in  the  Massachusetts 
Hospital  Life  Company  and  in  a  number  of 
manufacturing  and  mercantile  corporations. 
As  an  officer  of  the  Massachusetts  Society  of 
the  Cincinnati,  the  Bunker  Hill  Monument 
Association,  the  Massachusetts  Society  for 
Promoting  Agriculture,  and  the  Home  for 
Aged  Men,  he  took  a  lively  interest  in  these 
associations.  When  Dr.  Howe,  with  his  in- 
extinguishable love  of  liberty,  espoused  the 
cause  of  the  Cretans  in  their  struggle  with 
the  Turks,  his  Kansas  memories  prompted 
him  to  turn  to  Mr.  Lawrence  to  act  as  treas- 
urer of  the  funds.  All  such  duties,  as  well 
as  the  giving  to  deserving  objects,  were  ac- 
companied with  a  sense  of  satisfaction ;  but 
there  was  one  class  whom,  on  account  of  his 
sympathetic  nature,  he  unconsciously  en- 
couraged, and  yet  whom  he  could  not  treat 
with  patience,  —  the  chronic  borrowers.  The 
only  satisfaction  he  ever  took  in  lending  to 


252  AMOS  A.   LAWRENCE. 

such  people  was  the  hope,  which  was  usually 
a 'forlorn  one,  that  they  would  not  show  their 
faces  again.  The  following  is  one  of  a  mass 
of  letters  which  tell  the  same  story  :  — 

BOSTOK,  August  9,  1872. 

DEAR  SIR,  —  A  large  sheet  might  be  cov- 
ered with  the  reasons  why  I  cannot  lend 
money,  not  even  to  my  nearest  friends.  But 
I  will  only  say  that  it  would  be  as  safe  as 
taking  out  the  bung  from  a  barrel  of  cider. 
In  my  case  it  is  the  only  barrel  in  the  house. 
It  is  good  cider  and  the  bung  is  in  the  bot- 
tom, as  the  barrel  lays. 

For  twenty  years  I  have  been  busy  writ- 
ing letters,  with  reasons.  For  ten  years  be- 
fore that  I  lent  some  money,  and  wrote  some 
letters.  In  both  cases  I  was  the  loser,  and 
don't  think  anybody  was  the  gainer. 

Yours  truly,  A.  A.  L. 

His  resolution  not  to  lend  was  better  than 
his  practice,  for  on  several  occasions  his  sym- 
pathy for  acquaintances  in  financial  distress 
lead  him  into  heavy  losses.  But  that  no  ill 
will  was  harbored  is  seen  by  this  letter  to  a 
person  who  had  borrowed  several  thousand 
dollars,  who  announced  a  few  days  after  that 
he  had  failed. 


MATURE   YEARS.  253 

BOSTON,  November  13,  1873. 

MY  DEAR  SIR,  — Your  note  is  received 
with  great  regret,  chiefly  on  your  account  (I 
trust)  and  not  on  mine  ;  for  your  disappoint- 
ment must  be  infinitely  greater  than  mine 
can  be.  You  have  been  most  unfortunate ; 
but  nobody  has  said  that  you  have  been  in 
fault,  that  I  ever  heard,  except  in  judgment. 
And  many  great  and  good  men  have  erred 
strangely  in  their  judgment  of  business  mat- 
ters. Rev.  Mr.  Beecher  says  he  rather 
thinks  that  those  who  are  most  unfortunate 
in  this  world  (without  intentionally  doing 
wrong)  will  be  the  favored  ones  in  the  next, 
and  he  says  that  if  he  takes  off  his  hat  in 
the  street  to  any  man,  it  will  be  to  him  who 
has  struggled  to  do  his  duty  and  who  has  in 
a  good  measure  succeeded  in  that ;  but  who 
has  failed  in  achieving  any  worldly  success. 

I  am  rather  of  Mr.  Beecher's  opinion. 
Yours  truly,  A.  A.  L. 

In  one  form  of  beneficence  he  took  keen 
delight ;  that  of  sending  unexpected  gifts  to 
literary  men  whose  salaries  were  such  as  to 
demand  strict  economy.  Now  and  again  a 
box  of  fine  tea  or  a  check  or  a  cloak  would 
be  delivered  at  the  door  of  some  professor 


254  AMOS  A.   LAWRENCE. 

at  Bowdoin,  Williams,  or  Harvard,  accom- 
panied by  a  brief  line  which  gave  grace  to 
the  gift.  He  could  not  open  a  fresh  box  of 
cigars  without  the  satisfaction  of  feeling 
that  some  clergyman  had  a  duplicate.  The 
old  librarian  of  Harvard  College,  whose 
economy  was  only  exceeded  by  his  generos- 
ity, pours  out  his  thanks  for  a  new  cloak; 
"  Mrs.  S.  has  been  chiding  me  a  long  time 
for  wearing  my  old  one  till  it  has  now  got  to 
be  the  twenty-ninth  winter,  and  says  she  is 
delighted  ;  and  she  desires  me  to  express  her 
gratitude  for  your  practical  wisdom  in  trying 
'  to  make  me  look  decent.'  " 

At  sixty  years  of  age  Mr.  Lawrence  was 
still  active  in  body  and  bright  in  society,  but 
his  nervous  system  was  weakened.  Neural- 
gia again  laid  its  torturing  grasp  on  him  and 
depression  of  spirits  resulted.  To  those  who 
suffered  like  him  he  gave  good  advice.  To 
a  farmer  in  Maine  he  wrote :  "  You  write 
as  though  your  spirits  were  poor.  But  you 
must  remember  that  this  is  the  season  when 
the  bile  is  stagnant.  Take  a  little  good 
cider  with  your  dinner ;  take  a  little  in  the 
morning  before  breakfast  with  saleratus  in 
it.  Put  a  strengthening  plaster  on  your 
back  between  your  shoulders.  Take  a  little 


MATURE    YEARS.  255 

whiskey  if  it  suits.  Go  out  and  sit  on  the 
warm  side  of  the  house,  and  listen  to  the 
birds  in  the  morning." 

To  his  friend  Le  Baron,  who  suffered 
from  the  same  trouble,  he  sent  word,  "  Now, 
my  dear  old  Baron,  I  charge  nothing  for  my 
advice.  Brom.  potas.  is  good:  so  is  quin- 
ine ;  and  bismuth  ;  and  some  whiskey.  But 
God  holds  the  key  of  our  minds." 

Still  he  found  it  hard  to  act  always  on  his 
own  advice. 

In  trying  to  help  friends  in  business  he 
had  met  with  some  losses  which  were  more 
annoying  than  serious  ;  the  fall  of  his  horse 
upon  his  ankle  had  cut  off  his  customary  ex- 
ercise —  and,  more  than  all,  four  children 
had  married  and  had  left  his  house  for 
homes  of  their  own.  "  What  strikes  me 
most  is  the  quickness  with  which  our  chil- 
dren have  come  and  gone,"  he  wrote  to  his 
son  ;  and  one  great  dread  of  his  life  was  the 
thought,  "  What  shall  we  do  if  we  live  till  all 
our  children  have  left  us  ?  "  He  took  great 
satisfaction  in  the  way  that  each  of  them 
left  home,  and  yet  he  never  could  reconcile 
himself  to  their  absence.  The  house  had 
been  so  full  of  noise  and  activity  for  years, 
and  he  had  become  accustomed  to  the  echo 


256  AMOS  A.   LAWRENCE. 

of  young  voices  in  the  halls,  that  even  the 
absence  of  some  of  the  family  for  a  short 
visit  would  depress  him.  His  sympathetic 
nature  was  not  satisfied  without  the  presence 
of  those  whom  he  loved,  but  the  very  inten- 
sity of  his  sympathy  made  him  a  poor  nurse 
and  assistant  in  the  sick  room.  At  about 
this  time  sickness  took  its  first  strong  hold 
in  the  family.  In  1870  Mrs.  Lawrence,  who 
had  borne  the  cares  of  the  large  household, 
suffered  in  health  for  some  months,  but  was 
restored  by  a  few  weeks  with  Mr.  Lawrence 
and  a  part  of  the  family  in  Europe.  In 
1875  a  son  who  was  just  entering  work  in 
the  ministry  was  stricken  with  typhoid  fever ; 
at  the  same  time  a  daughter  was  brought  to 
the  point  of  death.  In  the  long  illness  of 
the  latter,  lasting  two  or  three  years,  Mr. 
Lawrence  followed  the  even  course  of  his 
life,  though  consumed  by  anxiety ;  and  the 
only  outlet  for  his  sympathies  was  found  in 
visiting  the  sick  in  other  houses.  He  had 
always  been  a  frequent  visitor  when  friends 
were  ill  or  in  trouble,  but  from  this  time  the 
habit  became  constant.  The  object  in  his 
ride  was  almost  always  an  invalid.  Such 
an  afternoon  as  this  was  his  frequent  rou- 
tine. 


MATURE   YEARS.  257 

"  February  2.  Went  in  a  sleigh  with  Sa- 
rah to  visit  Tom  Knowles  (my  farmer's  son), 
who  is  failing  by  consumption.  Then  to  see 
Harry  Slade,  of  the  same  age,  who  has  the 
same  disease.  Poor  boys!  So  early  laid 
on  the  bed  of  suffering  and  death.  May 
God  in  his  mercy  comfort  them,  and  prepare 
them  for  his  heavenly  kingdom.  Visited  old 
sick  neighbor,  Mr.  Hichborn." 

Then  came  a  shock  from  an  unexpected 
quarter  as  told  in  his  journal. 

"Nahant,  July  1,  1879.  Dr.  Williams 
told  me  that  a  '  cataract '  is  forming  in  my 
right  eye.  It  made  itself  known  by  a 
blurred,  cloudy  appearance  before  the  spy- 
glass through  which  I  was  looking  to  the 
sea  from  my  piazza.  God  give  me  grace 
and  strength  to  bear  this  and  all  the  ills  of 
this  body  with  fortitude,  and,  if  possible, 
with  cheerfulness,  knowing  that  He  will 
never  afflict  except  in  mercy." 

However,  he  held  to  the  routine  of  his  life, 
but  the  proportion  of  time  given  to  the  dif- 
ferent pursuits  changed.  His  son  Amory 
was  now  able  to  relieve  him  of  a  large  part 
of  the  responsibility  of  the  business,  though 
Mr.  Lawrence  went  daily  to  the  office  for 
two  or  three  hours  and  gave  his  advice  in  the 


258  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

more  important  matters.  He  also  held  to 
his  other  interests,  and  even  entered  upon 
new  ones.  Tom  Hughes'  Rugby  experiment 
appealed  to  his  love  of  enterprise  and  faith 
in  good  settlements.  Elected  an  overseer  of 
Harvard  University,  he  took  a  keen  interest 
in  all  the  discussions,  which  at  that  time 
were  exceptional  in  brilliancy  and  ability  on 
account  of  the  important  reforms  then  in 
view.  And  his  short,  quaint  speeches  added 
strength  and  humor  to  the  debates.  To  the 
last  he  opposed  the  spirit  of  secularization 
of  the  college. 

Hearing  of  the  struggle  of  the  Misses 
Smith  of  Glastonbury,  who  allowed  their 
property  to  be  sold  for  taxes  because  they 
as  women  had  no  voice  in  the  appropria- 
tion of  the  taxes,  he  went  to  their  rescue 
with  letters  and  money,  and  with  some  chiv- 
alry expressed  his  views. 

"  The  taxation  of  the  property  of  women 
without  allowing  them  any  representation  in 
town  affairs  is  so  unjust  that  it  seems  only 
necessary  to  bring  it  to  public  notice  to  excite 
the  interest  of  all  honest  voters  to  make  a 
change.  Therefore  you  deserve  the  greater 
honor  for  resisting  that  injustice,  and  for  set- 
ing  an  example  which  must  lead  to  reform. 


MATURE   YEARS.  259 

"  Your  case  has  its  parallel  in  every  town- 
ship in  New  England.  In  the  town  where 
this  is  written  a  widow  pays  $7,830,  while 
six  hundred  men,  a  number  equal  to  half 
the  whole  number  of  voters,  pay  $1,200  in 
all.  Another  lady  pays  $5,042.  Yet  neither 
has  a  single  vote,  not  even  by  proxy.  That 
is,  each  one  of  six  hundred  men  who  have  no 
property  and  pay  only  a  poll  tax,  many  of 
whom  cannot  read  or  write,  has  the  power  of 
voting  away  the  property  of  the  town,  while 
the  females  have  no  power  at  all. 

"  We  have  lately  spent  a  day  in  celebrat- 
ing the  heroism  of  those  who  threw  over  the 
tea;  but  how  trifling  was  the  tea  tax  and 
how  small  the  injustice  to  individuals  com- 
pared with  this  one  of  our  day.  The  prin- 
ciple, however,  is  the  same,  that  there  should 
be  no  taxation  without  representation." 

To  a  gentleman  who  hoped  that  another 
woman  suffragist  had  been  raised  up,  he 
stated  his  opinions  in  a  more  positive  way. 

BOSTON,  October  14,  1874. 

DEAR  SIR,  —  Universal  (manhood)  suf- 
frage has  proved  to  be  a  failure  in  the  cities 
and  thickly  settled  communities,  and  all 
through  the  South  :  chiefly  because  it  is  not 


260  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

based  on  intelligence,  nor  on  character,  nor 
on  property.  To  give  the  right  to  vote  to  all 
the  women  would  only  be  to  increase  the  evil. 
It  seems  to  me  that  the  women  who  are 
taxed  should  have  the  right  to  vote,  and  if 
that  is  refused,  they  have  the  right  to  rebel : 
and  the  men  would  have  a  right  to  help 
them,  that  is,  those  who  chose  to. 

Yours  truly,  A.  A.  L. 

With  the  approach  of  old  age  he  naturally 
turned  with  pleasure  to  the  scenes  of  his  boy- 
hood. As  his  younger  son  was  rector  of 
Grace  Church,  Lawrence,  Mr.  Lawrence 
was  enabled  to  visit  the  North  Parish,  An- 
dover,  and  look  up  the  old  school-house, 
which  he  recognized  transformed  into  a 
barn  ;  he  took  intense  delight  in  talking  over 
the  days  with  his  former  school-mates  Sur- 
geon General  Dale  and  Captain  Chever ; 
and  as  long  as  the  poor  old  sexton  John 
Frye  lived  in  his  filthy  hovel,  Mr.  Lawrence 
insisted  on  sending  money  to  keep  him  out 
of  the  poor-house,  where  the  town  authori- 
ties insisted  that  he  ought  to  go. 

His  associations  with  Groton  had  been 
kept  up  by  correspondence  and  occasional 
visits.  He  was  still  interested  in  the  affairs 


MATURE   TEARS.  261 

and  people  of  the  town,  as  the  following  let- 
ter to  his  aunt  Eliza  (Mrs.  Green),  who  had 
cared  for  him  after  the  death  of  his  mother, 
and  with  whom  he  kept  up  an  affectionate 
correspondence  for  over  fifty  years,  shows. 

BOSTON,  March  29,  1871. 

MY  DEAR  AUNT,  —  If  you  ever  see  Mr. 
Spaulding  who  makes  the  cider,  will  you  be 
good  enough  to  give  my  compliments  to  him 
and  inform  him  that  there  is  one  denomina- 
tion of  Christians  who  will  not  think  worse 
of  him  for  having  made  such  a  delightful 
and  wholesome  drink.  I  do  not  believe  that 
his  success  in  this  particular  would  of  itself 
entitle  him  to  be  received  and  duly  enrolled 
as  a  member  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church ;  but  it  would  be  counted  in  among 
his  other  virtues,  of  which  he  is  said  to  have 
many.  With  this  I  send  a  pamphlet  which 
will  explain  the  theory  and  practice  of  that 
religious  denomination,  which  you  perhaps 
will  hand  to  him.  Though  it  says  nothing 
about  making  cider  or  drinking  it,  it  will  be 
easily  inferred  from  it  that  he  who  makes 
good  cider,  and  gives  good  measure,  for  a 
reasonable  price,  is  so  far  a  public  benefac- 
tor. And  that  is  true  of  Mr.  Spauldiiig. 


262  AM08  A.  LAWRENCE. 

There  is  a  story  that  he  has  been  excluded 
from  the  Groton  church  for  the  exercise  of 
this  homely  art  of  making  good  cider,  and 
on  that  account  I  have  written  this  letter. 
With  love  to  all, 

Your  affectionate  nephew, 

A.  A.  L. 

But  with  the  death  of  his  aunts  and 
friends  in  Groton,  his  memories  became  so 
tender  and  sad  that  he  did  not  dare  to  go 
there  often. 

The  death  of  old  black  Peter  Hazard,  who 
had  been  a  pensioner  of  the  family  for  three 
generations,  called  him  back  once,  and  the 
simple  country  funeral  is  thus  described :  — 

"  November  12,  1880.  Went  to  Groton 
with  Dr.  Green  to  bury  my  old  friend,  Peter 
Hazard,  who  was  one  hundred  and  one  years 
old.  It  was  a  primitive  country  funeral  at 
Peter's  house  (mine,  which  he  has  lived  in 
free  of  rent)  by  the  Nashua  river,  on  the 
borders  of  my  woods :  not  another  house  in 
sight.  There  were  his  two  married  daugh- 
ters and  their  children,  and  many  friends, 
white  and  colored.  A  good  service  of  sing- 
ing, prayer,  and  exhortation  by  Mr.  Robie, 
the  Orthodox  minister.  Then  we  shook  hands 


MATURE    YEARS.  263 

with  the  relatives  and  drove  away.  Peter's 
body  lay  in  a  handsome  coffin,  dressed  in  his 
best  clothes,  and  looking  as  though  he  were 
asleep.  Good  old  Peter,  farewell,  we  hope 
not  forever.  It  is  sixty  and  more  years  since 
our  acquaintance  began.  Then  you  swam 
with  me  on  your  shoulders  across  the  Nashua, 
and  held  me  on  your  knee,  and  cared  for  me 
when  I  was  weak  and  recovering  from  a  fe- 
ver. My  grandfather  and  grandmother  and 
all  of  us  loved  Peter  and  his  sister  Lucy, 
peaceful,  kind  members  of  our  Groton  fam- 
ily. Sam  Green  took  me  to  the  burial 
ground  where  rest  the  bodies  of  our  relatives 
and  friends.  I  read  their  dear  names  on  the 
headstones  :  I  looked  off  to  the  grand  old 
Wachusett  and  Monadnock,  the  mountains 
which  bounded  my  boyish  world.  They 
brought  back  the  old  memories  of  my  child- 
hood. How  brief  seemed  this  life !  how 
worthless  much  that  men  prize  !  I  hardly 
knew  whether  I  was  living  in  the  present  or 
the  past.  God  help  us  all  to  live  as  in  thy 
presence,  and  without  sin,  ready  to  go  hence 
at  thy  summons,  to  meet  those  who  have 
been  dear  to  us,  and  whom  we  believe  to  be 
with  Thee  in  heaven. 

**  Went   over   the   old  homestead,  which 


264  AMOS  A.   LAWRENCE. 

James  has  enlarged  and  beautified.  Here 
came  the  memories  again.  Sam  was  sad, 
and  so  was  I ;  but  we  talked  of  old  times  and 
laughed  away  our  tears.  Reached  home  af- 
ter dark." 

On  the  last  Christmas  of  his  life  he  gave 
his  cousin,  Dr.  Samuel  A.  Green  (who  was  his 
r,eady  agent  in  many  charities  and  in  the  pur- 
chase of  a  rich  collection  of  Revolutionary 
and  Rebellion  literature  for  the  Massachu- 
setts Historical  Society),  $400  for  distribu- 
tion among  sixteen  old  persons  in  Groton. 

Two  occupations  steadily  increased,  —  his 
out-of-door  life  and  his  visits  on  the  sick  and 
aged.  Though  his  eyesight  was  failing,  he 
either  continued  in  the  saddle,  or  else  he 
would  take  some  young  neighbor  or  other 
companion  to  drive.  Except  when  the  neu- 
ralgia caught  him,  no  weather  was  too  rough, 
and  until  he  was  seventy  he  knew  no  greater 
delight  than  a  good  skate  on  Jamaica  Pond 
or  a  coast  down  Amory's  Hill. 

Every  morning  Mr.  Lawrence  would  start 
in  his  buggy  for  the  counting-room,  but  it 
was  seldom  that  he  reached  there  without  call- 
ing at  some  houses  on  the  way,  to  inquire  for 
some  sick  one,  to  leave  a  few  pats  of  fresh 
butter  for  an  invalid,  or  to  take  a  pink  to  his 


MATURE   TEARS.  265 

grandson,  Amos.  A  few  lines  from  his  jour- 
nal tell  the  story  and  suggest  the  variety 
of  his  friends. 

"  November  30.  Sick  calls.  To  Alanson 
Tucker,  who  is  in  bed,  and  sees  no  one  but 
his  family.  Visited  Mrs.  James  K.  Mills. 
She  looks  worn  and  ill.  But  she  was  glad 
to  converse,  and  grateful  for  kindness. 

"  December  1.  Visited  my  old  friend,  Mrs. 
Clapp,  at  the  Brunswick  hotel.  She  is  a 
widow,  and  lives  alone.  Called  on  sick  Mrs. 
Ryan  in  the  village  ;  gave  her  money.  Then 
on  old  Mr.  Warren  and  his  wife.  Took  them 
clothes,  very  poor.  Then  Miss  Laura  Rog- 
ers, who  mourns  the  loss  of  her  aunt,  my  old 
friend,  Martha  C.  Derby. 

"  2.  Visited  my  friend,  Henry  B.  Rogers, 
who  has  been  in  Europe  since  the  death  of 
his  wife.  He  and  his  daughter  Annette  live 
together.  Seemed  glad  to  see  me.  Excel- 
lent people. 

"  Visited  the  widow  of  the  late  Rev.  Dr. 
Andrew  Bigelow.  She  was  delighted  to  see 
me.  She  is  a  Spiritualist,  and  immediately 
gave  me  a  communication  from  my  mother  ; 
also  from  my  uncle  Abbott.  She  talked 
fluently  and  well.  Gave  her  twenty  dollars 
for  her  poor." 


266  AMOS  A.   LAWRENCE. 

But  the  spring  of  1882  opened  sadly  for 
Mr.  Lawrence.  Though  he  fully  realized 
his  exceptionally  happy  surroundings,  yet  ill 
attuned  nerves  and  neuralgia  had  depressed 
his  spirits;  only  one  child  was  left  in  the 
home  where  seven  had  once  lived ;  death  had 
been  busy  among  his  old  friends ;  his  failing 
sight  had  caused  him  an  injury  by  falling, 
and  had  made  him  less  confident  in  walking. 

"My  eyesight  grows  feebler  with  cata- 
ract," he  wrote  ;  "  one  is  almost  gone.  With 
age  must  come  the  loss  of  our  faculties,  one 
by  one.  If  it  leads  us  to  look  upwards  more, 
for  heavenly  light,  then  the  loss  may  be 
changed  to  gain." 

In  May,  however,  occurred  the  great  sor- 
row of  his  life,  —  the  death  of  his  oldest 
daughter,  Mary.  Up  to  this  time,  the  unity 
of  Mr.  Lawrence's  family  had  been  remark- 
able. On  the  preceding  Thanksgiving  Day 
he  had  been  able  to  record :  "  In  the  after- 
noon assembled  all  our  children  and  grand- 
children ;  all  who  have  been  born  to  us. 
How  remarkable,  after  nearly  forty  years  of 
married  life,  to  have  health  and  life  con- 
tinued —  twenty-five  in  all."  The  married 
children  lived  in  Longwood  or  Boston,  with 
the  exception  of  one  son  who  was  only  an 


MATURE    YEARS.  267 

hour  away  in  Lawrence.  But  Mary,  who 
with  her  husband,  Dr.  Amory,  and  her  child 
lived  near  by,  was  in  and  out  of  the  house 
continually.  Her  handsome,  bright  face  and 
cheery  laugh  were  likely  to  break  in  upon 
the  quiet  homestead  at  any  moment.  In  her 
girlhood,  Mr.  Lawrence  had  written  of  her 
with  perfect  truth :  "  She  is  truthful,  con- 
scientious, kind  to  all,  and  I  trust  sincerely 
religious.  Everything  she  does  affords  me 
pleasure,  because  she  does  it  cheerfully  and 
as  though  it  were  her  duty.  Her  religion 
seems  to  be  of  a  practical  and  at  the  same 
time  of  a  cheerful  kind." 

And  yet  though  he  was  so  easily  depressed 
by  the  slight  illness  of  a  child,  or  by  his  own 
indisposition,  he  was  one  of  those  who  seem 
to  take  the  heavy  blows  with  perfect  equa- 
nimity. 

From  the  first  hour  of  her  short  illness  un- 
til months  after  her  death,  a  stranger  would 
never  have  guessed  the  anguish  in  his  heart. 
He  was  as  calm  as  she  in  the  face  of  death, 
and  with  composure  prayed  with  her  as  she 
was  dying.  After  all  was  over,  he  was  more 
than  ever  tender  and  gracious  in  meeting 
every  one ;  as  was  his  habit  he  continued 
to  whistle  unconsciously  as  he  worked  and 


268  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

walked,  and  on  the  day  of  the  funeral  began 
again  his  routine  of  calls.  After  the  ser- 
vices in  the  church  in  which  she  had  worked 
and  for  which  she  had  devoted  some  of  her 
best  energies,  her  body  was  laid  to  rest  in 
Forest  Hills.  But  Mr.  Lawrence  seemed  to 
take  the  spirit  of  her  life  with  him,  as  he 
wrote  on  his  return :  "  Dear  Mary :  dear, 
good,  lovely,  and  loving  daughter,  may  you 
rest  in  the  dear  Saviour's  arms,  and  may  we 
follow  the  example  of  your  good  life,  until 
we  too  are  called  to  meet  you  in  heaven. 
God  grant  this  for  Jesus'  sake." 


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XV. 

LAST  YEARS. 

1882-1886. 

IT  will  be  remembered  that  Mr.  Lawrence 
had  entered  business  for  himself,  and  by  his 
own  ability  had  reached  his  present  position. 
In  the  mean  time  the  old  firm  of  A.  &  A. 
Lawrence  &  Co.  had  dissolved  and  their 
large  business  had  been  distributed  among 
different  firms.  The  largest  selling  agency, 
that  of  the  Pacific  Mills,  had  been  given  to 
Messrs.  James  L.  Little  &  Co.,  who  in  1882 
resigned  the  charge.  It  was  with  great  sat- 
isfaction that  Mr.  Lawrence  learned  that  the 
directors  of  the  Pacific  Mills  had  offered  the 
agency  to  his  firm  of  Lawrence  &  Co.,  for  it 
was  the  indorsement  by  those  best  able  to 
judge  of  his  own  business  capacity  and  suc- 
cess, and  it  was  a  fitting  climax  to  his  mer- 
cantile life.  Moreover,  a  return  of  this 
great  agency  to  the  family  was  significant  of 
their  ability  to  handle  it. 


270  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

His  record  is  characteristic. 
"January  6,  1883.  The  Pacific  Mills 
Corporation,  through  its  directors  (all  of 
whom  signed  the  proposition),  have  offered 
to  my  firm  the  direction  of  their  vast  busi- 
ness, the  largest  in  the  United  States.  May 
God  direct  us  to  a  right  decision ;  and  if  we 
undertake  it,  may  He  give  us  success  and 
wisdom  to  use  the  results  in  his  service,  and 
not  in  selfish  gratification  ;  so  that  we,  and 
our  children  after  us,  may  not  be  damaged 
by  it.  Amen." 

It  required  courage  to  assume,  at  his  age, 
new  and  heavy  responsibilities,  and  to  reor- 
ganize the  firm  by  calling  in  new  partners ; 
but  with  the  help  of  his  son  he  undertook  it, 
throwing  off  the  smaller  selling  agencies  and 
retaining  only  the  Cocheco  and  Salmon  Falls 
with  the  Pacific. 

Other  new  philanthropic  interests  gave 
him  thought  and  work.  At  this  time  he 
realized  more  than  ever  the  evils  of  the  liq- 
uor traffic,  and  its  baneful  effects  in  poli- 
tics and  social  life;  and  he  threw  himself 
with  much  activity  into  several  forms  of 
temperance  work,  especially  the  Law  and 
Order  League. 

Utah   was  also  drawing  the  attention  of 


LAST   YEARS.  271 

the  people  through  the  efforts  of  Congress 
to  suppress  Mormonism.  Here  seemed  to 
be  another  opportunity,  by  self  -  sacrificing 
immigration,  to  fill  Utah  with  Christian  citi- 
zens and  to  free  the  Territory  from  the  curse, 
as  Kansas  was  freed  from  slavery  a  genera- 
tion ago.  Mr.  Eli  Thayer,  Mr.  Branscomb 
(one  of  the  first  Kansas  agents),  the  Rev. 
Edward  Everett  Hale,  Mr.  Williams,  and 
other  Kansas  veterans,  now  joined  forces 
again,  organized,  obtained  a  charter,  and  at 
the  expense  of  Mr.  Lawrence  sent  out  scouts 
to  Utah  to  study  the  country  and  the  op- 
portunities for  an  emigrant  crusade.  It  was 
touching  to  see  these  men,  now  old  if  not 
infirm,  calling  others  together  in  Mr.  Law- 
rence's parlor  to  polish  again  their  rusty  in- 
struments of  patriotic  emigration  for  this 
campaign.  But  it  was  of  no  use.  The  im- 
mediate reason  for  dropping  the  scheme  was 
the  discovery  that  the  Mormons  had  posses- 
sion of  all  the  available  farming  land  ;  but 
in  fact  a  new  generation  had  risen,  the 
moral  enthusiasm  and  the  crisis  were  want- 
ing, and  the  leaders  were  men  who  could 
never  again  rouse  the  energies  of  the  rising 
life  as  they  had  in  Kansas  days.  The  work, 
however,  gave  Mr.  Lawrence  many  busy  and 
happy  hours. 


272  AMOS  A.   LAWRENCE. 

In  September,  1883,  the  last  wedding  took 
place  from  Longwood.  Mr.  Lawrence  wrote 
on  the  day  of  the  wedding  :  "Our  last  un- 
married child  has  left  us.  All  have  homes 
of  their  own.  God  be  praised  for  his  good- 
ness to  us  !  Henceforth,  '  forgetting  those 
things  which  are  behind,  let  us  reach  forth 
unto  those  things  which  are  before,  and 
press  toward  the  mark  of  the  prize  of  the 
high  calling  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus.'  Dear 
wife !  dear  children !  how  my  heart  goes 
out  to  you  all !  Let  us  rejoice  evermore." 

"September  30.  My  dear  wife  Sarah 
and  I  are  now  living  in  our  house  alone,  as 
when  we  were  first  married.  Dear,  good 
wife  she  has  been  to  me,  the  light  of  my 
life  and  my  chief  worldly  support.  May  we 
live  together  hereafter  forever!  But  our 
house  does  seem  lonely  with  all  our  children 
gone  out  of  it.  God  alone  can  support  and 
cheer  us  now,  near  life's  end.  To  Him  I 
look  for  light  to  illumine  the  darkness  which 
deepens  as  years  increase." 

He  tried  to  drive  away  the  sense  of  loneli- 
ness with  renewed  calls.  He  became  a  Vis- 
itor of  the  Associated  Charities  in  Roxbury, 
and  went  about  among  the  sick  neighbors. 
Many  afternoons  were  passed  like  this: 


LAST   YEARS.  273 

"  Very  cold  wind.  Walked  to  Brookline  ; 
called  on  Moses  Kimball  (74),  hurt  on 
railroad,  very  bright  and  cheerful.  Called 
on  old  Madame  Wakefield  (90).  She  em- 
braced me.  Deaf  and  failing,  but  still 
strong  ;  poor  old  woman.  To  Brother  Wil- 
liam's as  usual.  Dined  at  six  o'clock." 

But  his  mental  depression  and  sensitive 
nerves  reacted  on  each  other.  He  writes : 
"  December  20.  Neuralgia.  Pain,  pain ; 
sinking  of  the  heart  for  many  days  and 
nights.  Father  in  heaven,  put  under  me 
thy  everlasting  arms,  and  sustain  me  and 
comfort  me." 

Thinking  that  the  society  of  friends  and 
children  in  Boston  would  cheer  him,  he  and 
Mrs.  Lawrence  lived  for  three  or  four 
months  in  the  house  of  their  daughter,  who 
was  in  Europe  for  her  health,  and  here, 
with  his  friends,  James  S.  Amory  Robert 
C.  Winthrop,  William  R.  Robeson,  Dr. 
Hodges,  and  others,  as  near  neighbors,  and 
with  children  and  relatives  frequently  call- 
ing, he  passed  the  time  happily. 

He  was  now  able  to  renew  his  attendance 
at  the  Thursday  Evening  Club,  and  the 
Massachusetts  Historical  Society,  of  which 
he  had  been  a  member  for  many  years. 


274  AMOS  A.   LAWRENCE. 

For  thirty  years  it  had  been  his  unfulfilled 
expectation  to  visit  Kansas,  to  see  the  places 
and  the  people  so  familiar  by  name,  and  the 
university  which  his  bounty  had  founded. 
After  declining  many  urgent  invitations 
from  Governor  Robinson  and  the  hospitable 
citizens,  he  at  last,  in  1884,  made  the  journey. 
He  looked  for  a  quiet  visit,  such  as  his  health 
would  endure,  but  the  reception  was  so  gen- 
erous and  overwhelming  that  it  was  too 
much  for  his  sympathies,  and,  for  fear  lest 
he  should  break  down  altogether,  he  beat  a 
hasty  retreat  from  the  grateful  people. 

The  spring  of  1884  had  brought  its  har- 
vest of  deaths  of  the  aged,  among  them  his 
business  associate  of  forty-one  years,  Mr. 
Mather,  whose  regularity  at  the  office  had 
hardly  suggested  to  others  the  thought  of 
age.  Mr.  James  S.  Amory  had  also  dropped 
from  the  ranks  of  his  dearest  friends. 

During  the  summer,  Mr.  Lawrence  still 
rode  his  mare  "  Pet "  along  the  rocky  shores 
of  Nahant,  though  his  eyesight  was  failing  ; 
and,  as  he  wrote  on  his  seventy -first  birth- 
day, "  Sarah,  my  dear,  devoted  wife,  remains 
to  be  my  companion  and  helper,  the  guar- 
dian angel  of  my  house  and  of  my  heart. 
Though  she  and  I  are  left  alone  in  our  house, 


LAST   YEARS.  275 

it  is  because  our  children  have  made  happy 
homes  of  their  own,  and  the  eldest,  our  dear 
Mary,  has,  we  trust,  a  happier  home  in  the 
heavens." 

Another  year  of  the  same  routine,  short 
business  hours,  long  drives,  short  rides,  many 
calls  and  letters  of  sympathy  to  others,  passed 
away.  He  retired  from  some  duties,  such 
as  the  position  on  the  Board  of  Trustees  of 
the  Episcopal  Theological  School,  and  the 
Overseers  of  Harvard  College.  He  met  the 
old  Class  of  '35  for  the  last  time  at  Com- 
mencement, as  he  writes  :  — 

"June  25.  Fiftieth  Anniversary  of  our 
graduation  at  Cambridge.  Twenty-one  sur- 
vivors of  our  class  met  in  Holworthy.  Some 
had  not  met  for  fifty  years.  Dear  old  boys ! 
How  cheery  they  were !  Boys  over  again. 
I  thank  God  for  having  spared  my  life  so 
long.  More  than  half  of  our  whole  number 
(fifty-eight)  have  gone  on  before.  To-day 
there  were  present  E.  Appleton,  C.  V. 
Bemis,  H.  G.  O.  Blake,  John  Carr  of  Vir- 
ginia, whom  we  had  not  seen  for  fifty  years, 
J.  H.  Elliot,  Charles  H.  Gates,  J.  L.  Good- 
ridge,  E.  R.  Hoar,  W.  Ingalls,  J.  Alsop 
King  (fifty  years  nearly),  A.  A.  Lawrence, 
H.  Lyon,  C.  W.  Palfrey,  Charles  H.  Parker, 


276  AMOS  A.  LAWRENCE. 

W.  R.  Robeson,  C.  C.  Shackford,  C.  W. 
Storey,  F.  M.  Weld,  B.  H.  West. 

"  There  were  living,  but  not  there,  W.  H. 
Allen  (off  West ;  he  wrote  a  good  letter)  ; 
J.  S.  Beal  (fading  out  at  Kingston)  ;  W.  F. 
Frick,  Baltimore  (he  ought  to  have  come)  ; 
F.  Jones ;  Edward  Lander  (in  Washing- 
ton);  L.  Stephens;  N.  L.  White;  F.  E. 
White  (very  ill)  ;  Samuel  Willard  (sick 
and  blind).  There  was  a  plenty  to  eat  and 
drink,  all  of  which  was  furnished  by  E.  R. 
Hoar.  We  were  joyous  for  a  while,  but  sad 
when  we  reflected  that  this  is  the  last  meet- 
ing on  earth  for  most  of  us. 

"After  our  meeting  in  Holworthy,  we 
joined  the  procession  of  graduates  to  Me- 
morial Hall.  J.  Russell  Lowell  and  others 
made  speeches,  Choate  of  New  York  pre- 
sided, Hoar  answered  for  our  class.  God 
bless  the  dear  old  boys  for  the  remnant  of 
their  days." 

For  two  or  three  years  his  brother  Wil- 
liam's health  had  been  failing,  and  instead 
of  the  morning  call  in  Longwood  of  Wil- 
liam upon  Amos,  and  the  return  call  at  sun- 
set, there  was  now  only  the  sunset  call. 
After  dusk  on  the  winter  evenings,  Amos, 


LAST    YEARS.  277 

with  imperfect  vision,  would  slowly  make  his 
way  over  the  familiar  path  to  William's 
house  ;  and  then  the  brothers,  with  one  hand 
011  the  other's  knee,  would  talk  over  the  lit- 
tle family  matters,  recount  their  blessings, 
and  confirm  each  other  in  their  faith,  while 
an  occasional  laugh  would  reveal  the  fact 
that  behind  the  feeble  voice  of  the  invalid 
was  a  witty  mind  and  genial  heart. 

It  was  one  of  the  pleasures  of  Nahant  that 
Mr.  Lawrence  was  within  driving  distance 
of  his  brother,  who  always  passed  the  sum- 
mer at  Swampscott.  But  in  the  summer  of 
1885  the  drives  to  Swampscott  were  sad 
ones ;  for  William  was  slowly  sinking,  and 
was  able  only  at  times  to  "  whisper  that  he 
had  company  always,  for  the  angel  of  the 
Lord  encampeth  round  about  them  that  fear 
Him,  and  delivereth  them." 

On  the  20th  of  September  he  peacefully 
fell  asleep,  and  three  days  later  his  body  was 
taken  from  the  memorial  church  at  Long- 
wood  to  Mount  Auburn. 

His  brother,  the  last  surviving  member  of 
his  father's  family,  returned  to  Waban  Farm 
to  write :  "  Farewell,  dear  brother,  until  we 
meet  again  in  the  presence  of  God  and  his 


278  AMOS  A.   LAWRENCE. 

angels,  and  of  those  whom  we  have  loved  and 
who  have  gone  before." 

Again  followed  the  routine-calls  upon  the 
sick,  with  the  day's  text,  "  Be  of  good  cour- 
age, and  He  shall  strengthen  your  heart ; " 
sleepless  nights  after  days  of  depression ; 
and  in  spite  of  rapidly  increasing  blindness, 
horseback  rides,  and  activities  in  many  inter- 
ests. On  Thanksgiving  Day  there  was  the 
usual  family  gathering.  "  We  played  games, 
we  older  ones  joined  in  them  all ;  blind  man's 
buff,  puss  in  the  corner,  '  contra-dance,'  etc. 
My  heart  was  very  sad,  but  I  concealed  it." 
With  Christmas  comes  the  thought :  "  There 
can  be  but  few  more  Christmas  Days  for  me 
on  earth,  for  the  lights  are  fading  out  for 
me ;  my  sight  has  become  dim  with  the  eye 
which  remains ;  the  other  sees  not  at  all." 

Three  weeks  later  he  records  :  — 

"  January  18, 1886.  My  dear  wife  tells  me, 
before  we  are  up,  of  the  decision  to  operate 
on  my  eye  at  once.  Dr.  Derby  was  here  yes- 
terday and  advised  it.  Dr.  Hodges  came 
this  morning.  God  my  Father  give  me  forti- 
tude to  bear  it  all,  and  faith  in  his  goodness 
now  and  evermore." 

The  next  day  the  operation  took  place  suc- 
cessfully. Mr.  Lawrence  met  the  trial  with 


LAST   YEARS.  279 

great  calmness,  and  endured  the  darkness 
of  several  weeks  with  patience.  His  first 
thought,  a  few  minutes  after  the  operation, 
was  to  have  two  checks  sent  to  the  Blind 
Asylum  and  to  an  industrial  school. 

The  calls  of  his  many  friends  and  of  his 
children  gave  him  great  comfort.  And  he 
was  particularly  happy  in  the  companion- 
ship of  his  friend  and  classmate,  Charles  H. 
Gates,  who  from  this  time  devoted  himself 
to  Mr.  Lawrence  ;  walking,  driving,  and 
reading  with  him. 

As  soon  as  he  was  able  to  go  out,  he  was 
so  anxious  to  call  upon  all  those  who,  during 
his  confinement,  had  been  sick  or  afflicted, 
that  the  strain  on  his  sympathies  had  to  be 
checked  by  the  doctor.  Nevertheless  the 
pen  of  his  wife  or  of  Mr.  Gates  was  set  to 
work  on  messages  of  sympathy. 

The  early  summer  was  passed  in  visits  to 
his  children  at  their  summer  places  in  Bev- 
erly, Medford,  and  Newport,  and  then  came 
the  quiet  of  Nahant.  The  days  were  bright- 
ened by  increasing  clearness  of  vision,  and 
by  the  restoration  to  health  of  his  youngest 
daughter,  who  had  been  three  years  an  in- 
valid and  away  from  home. 

Sharp  pains  across  the  chest,  and  an  in- 


280  AMOS  A.  LAWR.ENCE. 

creasing  inability  to  walk,  cramped  his  activ- 
ity. His  birthday  passed  with  the  record  : 

"  Seventy-two.  Sustain  me,  O  God  !  dur- 
ing what  remains  to  me  of  life.  Enable  me 
to  be  still  of  some  use  in  this  world.  Give 
me  courage  to  live  cheerfully  and  to  do  my 
duty,  to  be  helpful  to  my  dear  wife,  who  is  so 
helpful  to  me,  and  to  my  dear  children  and 
grand-children." 

With  a  daughter  and  her  family  next  door, 
and  guests  within  and  friends  all  about,  he 
followed  his  routine  of  life,  going  to  his  office 
in  Boston  two  or  three  times  a  week.  "  This 
text,"  he  wrote,  "  has  helped  me  much:  '  Let 
us  not  be  weary  in  well-doing,  for  in  due 
season  we  shall  reap  if  we  faint  not.' ' 

On  Sunday,  August  22,  he,  his  wife,  and 
Mr.  Gates  formed  the  family  in  the  house 
where  ten  or  twelve  young  people  used  to  sit 
at  table.  The  day  before,  his  friends,  Dr. 
and  Mrs.  Slade,  had  left  after  a  short  visit. 
In  the  morning  he  went  to  church  as  usual, 
when,  as  he  wrote  his  son  later,  "  the 
preacher  was  a  bright  man,  they  say.  Mr. 
Beal  said  his  sermon  was  very  powerful. 
Gates  wondered  what  it  was  about.  I  tried 
hard  to  admire  it  and  be  benefited  by  it, 
but  think  the  air  must  have  been  poor  in  the 
church." 


LAST   YEARS.  281 

But  his  heart  was  heavy  with  the  sad 
downfall  of  a  friend  and  neighbor  whom  he 
had  lately  visited  in  sympathy.  He  was 
restless  and  could  think  of  nothing  else; 
"  sad,  sad,"  he  wrote  and  felt  that  afternoon. 
However,  as  usual,  he  made  some  calls  and 
then  walked  home  to  tea.  His  son-in-law 
came  in,  and  again  the  sad  subject  was 
touched  upon ;  soon  the  last  visitor  had  gone 
and  the  house  was  closed.  He  went  up-stairs 
to  his  room,  lighted  his  candle,  and  then  a 
heavy  thud  upon  the  floor  warned  his  wife 
that  he  had  fallen.  Before  she  could  reach 
him  the  life  had  departed  ;  the  heart  which, 
through  many  active  years,  had  beaten  so 
strong  in  sympathy,  was  worn  out  and  had 
ceased  to  do  its  work. 

Thirty-four  years  before  his  father  had 
fallen  asleep  just  as  suddenly  and  as  peace- 
fully, and  in  his  journal  Mr.  Lawrence  had 
then  recorded :  "  May  God  grant  to  me  as 
peaceful  a  release  from  this  body  as  was 
granted  to  him!  God  of  my  fathers,  help 
me  to  live  a  holy  life ;  help  me  by  my  ex- 
ample to  lead  those  who  look  up  to  me  in 
the  heavenly  life." 

His  prayer  was  answered  in  life  and  death. 
On  the  25th  of  August,  less  than  a  year 


282  AMOS  A.   LAWRENCE. 

after  his  brother's  death,  the  church  which 
they  had  built  was  crowded  with  relatives, 
friends,  and  citizens,  rich  and  poor. 

The  funeral  service  was  read  by  the  Rev. 
R.  H.  Howe,  the  rector  of  the  church,  and 
by  Mr.  Lawrence's  nephew,  the  Rev.  Arthur 
Lawrence.  The  body  was  carried  from  the 
church  by  eight  nephews,  and  was  then  borne 
through  Cambridge  and  by  Lawrence  Hall 
to  Mount  Auburn,  where  it  was  laid  to  rest 
in  the  Lawrence  lot.  Over  it  was  placed  a 
stone  cut  with  a  text  of  his  own  choice :  "  Be 
of  good  courage,  and  He  shall  strengthen 
your  heart,  all  ye  that  hope  in  the  Lord." 


INDEX. 


ABBOTT,  Captain  E.  G.,  180. 

Abbott,  J.  B.,  97,  100. 

Abbott,  Josiah  G.,  193. 

Abbott,  Major  H  L.,  193. 

Adams,  Amos,  4. 

Adams,  John  Quincy,  19,  20. 

Agassiz  Museum,  159-161. 

Agassiz,  Professor,  158-161,  1%. 

Alabama,  28. 

Almy,  Patterson  &  Co.,  26. 

Amory,  Dr.  R.,251. 

Amory,  James  S.,  157,  212,  241, 

273,  274. 

Andover,  6,  9,  13,  16-18,  244. 
Andrew,  Governor  John  A.,  156, 

169,  170,  178,  184,  188,  189. 
Appleton  Chapel,  157. 
Appletou,  Marianne,  55. 
Appleton,  Nathan,  124,  150. 
Appleton,  Samuel,  71. 
Appleton,   Sarah  Elizabeth,   49, 

59. 

Appleton,  Thomas  G.,  218. 
Appleton,  William,  49,  137,  151, 

159,  171,  211. 
Appleton  in  Wisconsin,  58,  71 ; 

university  in,  71,  118. 
April  19,  1775, 1 ;  anniversary  of, 

148. 

Arlington  Mills,  249. 
Ashland  Mills,  248. 
Associated  Charities,  272. 
Association  of  Knit  Goods  Man- 
ufacturers, 249. 
Atchison,  David  E.,  89. 
Athlone  on  Lake  Ree,  43. 
Atlantic  telegraph,  149. 
Auction  sale  of  negroes,  163. 
Aunts  Eliza  and  Mary,  4-6,  220, 

245. 

Baltimore,  171. 
Banks,  Governor,  137,  143,  154, 

155,  160. 


Bartlett,  General  William  P.,  204. 

Beal,  J.  H.,  280. 

Beaufort,  201. 

Bedford,  13,  15,  66,  236. 

Beecher,  Rev.  Mr.,  253. 

Beggars,  31,  162. 

Bell,  John,  156. 

Belmont,  August,  200,  201. 

Benton,  T.  H.,  86. 

Beverly,  279. 

Bigelow,  Dr.  Jacob,  160,  161. 

Bigelow,  Judge  G.  T.,  158. 

Blind  Asylum,  279. 

Border  life,  28. 

Boston,  Old  England,  41. 

Boston,  riot  in,  32. 

Bowditch,  Dr.  J.  Ingersoll,  230, 
232. 

Bowditch,  William  I.,  189. 

Bradley's  Hill,  156. 

Branscomb,  C.  H.,  82, 114,  271. 

Brattle  House,  Cambridge,  173. 

Breckiuridge,  J.  C.,  156,  167. 

Brookline  town  meeting,  171. 

Brooks,  assailant  of  Sumner,  141. 

Brougham,  Lord,  41. 

Brown,  John,  122-136,  138;  his 
wife,  129,  132. 

Brown,  John  Carter,  81,  85. 

Buchanan,  President,  105,  106, 
165,  166. 

Buford,  General,  197. 

Bunker  Hill,  2. 

Bunker  Hill  Monument  Associa- 
tion, 251. 

Burnham,  John  A.,  244. 

Burns,  Anthony,  75. 

Cabot,  Dr.  Samuel,  97, 102, 106. 
Calhoun,  J.  C.,  20. 
California,  188. 

Cambridge,  2,  152,  154,  157,  172, 
173. 


284 


INDEX. 


Carroll  of  Carrollton,  74. 

Gary,  Captain,  180. 

Cass,  Secretary,  165. 

Cavalry,  183,  186,  197. 

Cedar  Creek,  198. 

Channing,  Dr.,  33. 

Chase,  Secretary,  176,  196. 

Chauncy  Place,  6. 

Chestnut  Hill  Reservoir,  217. 

Chever,  Captain,  260. 

Christmas,  150,  151,  278. 

Church  Congress,  233. 

Church,  reconciliation  of,  238  ; 
at  Longwood,  240,  241 :  at  Na- 
hant,  239 ;  St.  Paul's,  Boston, 
33,  55-57,  233,  240 ;  St.  Paul's, 
Brookline,  233. 

Cider,  147,  261. 

Clapp,  Mrs.,  265. 

Clay,  Henry,  19. 

Cleveland,  Henry,  18. 

Clifford,  ex-Governor,  159. 

Cocheco  Company,  50,  51,  247, 
270. 

Commonwealth  Avenue,  62. 

Concord,  1,  17. 

Cooke,  Dr.  Edward,  72. 

Coolidge,  Dr.,  175. 

Corey's  Hill,  149,  153. 

Cottage  Farm,  60,  193,  216,  217, 
235. 

Crawford,  37. 

Cricket,  153. 

Crittenden,  Senator,  174. 

Crockett,  David,  19. 

Crowninshield,  Lieutenant-Colo- 
nel Caspar,  186,  199. 

Cushing,  Caleb,  134. 

Dahlgren,  Paul,  192. 
Dale,  Surgeon  General,  260. 
Dana,  Samuel  T.,  196. 
Dana,  C.  Susan,  35. 
Dauphin,  the  lost,  68,  69. 
Davis,  Jefferson,  136. 
Derby,  Dr.,  278. 
Derby,  Martha  C.,  265. 
Devens,  U.  S.  Marshal,  75. 
Donaldson,  Major,  18. 
Douglas,  Senator,  154,  156. 
Drill,  military,  32,  168, 169,  171, 

172. 
Duffy,  the  blacksmith,  148,  213. 

Eastburn,  Bishop,  234. 
Eliot,  C.  W.,  232. 
Emancipation  proclamation,  180, 
189. 


Emerson,  Ralph  Waldo,  31. 
Emigrants  to  Kansas,  81,  82,  85, 

91,  94,  102,  122. 
Episcopal  City  Mission  Chapel, 

54. 
Episcopal    Theological     School, 

241-245,  275. 
Everett,  Edward,  134,  154,  161, 

166. 

Factory  girls,  .procession  of,  18. 

Faneuil  Hall,  134. 

Felton,  President,  154,  155,  160, 

161,  196. 

Flags,  delivery  of,  206. 
Florence,  letter  from,  39. 
Forbes,  John  M.,  186,  189. 
Forbes,  William  H.,  186. 
Fort  Moultrie,   165;    Pinckney, 

165 ;  Warren,  178. 
Fox  River  Valley,  Wisconsin,  69, 

71. 

Francis,  Dr.,  214. 
Francis,  Ebenezer,  60. 
Franklin  Academy,  Andover,  6, 

8. 

Free  State  settlers,  102, 122. 
Free  States,  prosperity  of,  180. 
Frye,  John,  260. 
Fugitive  Slave  Law,  73. 
Funerals,  180,  197,  262,  268,  277, 

282. 

Gadsby's  Hotel,  20,  21. 

Gardiner,  Major,  184. 

Gardner,  Governor,  161. 

Gates,  Charles  H.,  18,  275,  279, 
280. 

Geary,  Governor,  119,  124. 

Georgia,  28,  195. 

Gilmanton  Mills,  248. 

Goodwin,  Captain,  180. 

Grant,  General,  194. 

Gray,  Horace,  196. 

Green,  Henry  A.,  193. 

Green,  Dr.  Samuel  A.,  246,  262- 
264. 

Green,  Mrs.  (Aunt  Eliza),  261. 

Greene,  Mr.,  37. 

Griswold,  Bishop,  55,  234. 

Griswold,  Colonel,  193. 

Groton,  1, 4,  215,  2CO,  264  ;  Acad- 
emy, 2 ;  homestead,  4,  5,  66, 
147,  263,  264. 

Guild,  Mrs.,  225,  226. 

Hale.  Charles,  160. 

Hale,  B,ev.  Edward  Everett,  271. 


INDEX. 


285 


Hallowell,  Lieutenant  -  Colonel, 
190. 

Hallowell,  Morris  L.,  189. 

Hallowell,  Richard  P.,  189. 

Harper's  Ferry,  123,  130,  131, 
136,  138. 

Harrison,  General,  27. 

Harvard  College,  11 ;  rebellion 
in,  12 ;  class  meetings,  154, 
275 ;  presidents,  154, 161 ;  com- 
mencement, 154;  inauguration 
of  president,  154,  155 ;  libra- 
rian, 254  ;  alumni,  230,  231 ; 
religious  influences  at,  242. 

Haven,  Hon.  S.  G.,  110. 

Hazard,  Peter,  147,  262,  263. 

Hazard,  Lucy,  263. 

Heuson,  Father,  74. 

Hichborn,  Mr.,  257. 

Higginson,  Rev.  Mr.,  106. 

Hoar,  E.  Rock  wood,  145,  159, 
160,  275,  276. 

Hodges,  Dr.  R.  M.,  273,  278. 

Holmes,  Dr.  O.  W.,  161. 

Home  for  Aged  Men,  251. 

Hooper,  S.,  195,  19G. 

Hopkins,  President,  67,  234,  235. 

Howe,  Rev.  R.  H.,  282. 

Hughes,  Tom,  258. 

Huntington,  Rev.  Dr.,  142,  160. 

Inscriptions  on  library,  203,  204. 
Ipswich,  mill  at,  247,  248. 
Ireland,  43,  44. 
Italy,  sketch  of,  39,  40. 

Jackson,  Patrick,  78. 

Jackson,  President,  17,   18,   21, 

22. 

Jarvis  Field,  215. 
Johnson,  Andrew,  174. 
Joy,  J.  D.  W.,  51. 

Kansas,  75-80,  86,  88;  election 
in,  92,  93  ;  rifles  for,  95,  97,  98, 
135 ;  invasion  from  Missouri, 
99,  107;  not  to  resist  the  au- 
thority of  the  United  States, 
103, 104 ;  freedom  assured,  111, 
112;  education  in,  115,  117, 
119,  121 ;  visit  to,  274. 

Kansas  City,  Missouri,  84,  87. 

Kansas  River,  82. 

Kentucky,  174. 

Kimball,  Moses,  273. 

King,  Colonel,  205. 

Knit  goods,  American,  247-249. 

Kossuth,  62. 


Lawrence,  A.  &  A.,  3,  29,  269. 

Lawrence,  Abbott,  3,  210. 

Lawrence,  Amory  A.,  257. 

Lawrence,  Amos,  3,  4,  34,  66,  67, 
69,  136,  264. 

Lawrence,  Amos  Adams,  birth 
and  name,  4  ;  Groton,  4,  5,  6 ; 
school  troubles  and  resources, 
6,  7,  8 ;  character  in  boyhood, 
9,  12 ;  resolutions,  10 ;  college, 
11  ;  rustication,  13 ;  Bedford, 
13,  15 ;  Andover,  13,  16 ;  visits 
Washington,  18-22;  plan  of 
life,  23,  24;  journey  through 
the  West  and  South,  26-29; 
begins  business  life,  30  ;  even- 
ing occupations,  31 ;  service 
as  fireman,  32 ;  military  duty, 
32  ;  drill,  32,  33 ;  religion,  33, 
34;  European  letters,  36-48; 
Rome,  36  ;  Florence,  39  ;  Eng- 
land, 41 ;  Ireland,  44  ;  Father 
Mathew,  44,  45, 47  ;  marriage, 
49 ;  Mason  &  Lawrence,  50 ; 
business  habits,  51 ;  success, 
52 ;  charitable  and  public  in- 
terests, 53,  54  ;  letter  to  Prof. 
Sales,  54  ;  confirmation,  55  ; 
Sunday-school  work,  56;  letters 
to  William  Le  Baron,  57,  59  ; 
business  responsibilities,  57, 
58  ;  Cottage  Farm,  60,  61,  62 ; 
athletics,  63,  64;  sleep,  65; 
Lynn,  66 ;  deaths  of  his  sister 
and  brother  Robert,  66 ;  death 
of  his  father,  67,  68;  invest- 
ment in  Wisconsin  lands,  69, 
70 ;  establishes  a  college  in 
Appleton,  Wisconsin,  71,  72 ; 
position  on  the  slavery  ques- 
tion, 73-76 ;  connection  with 
emigrant  aid  companies,  78-87; 
letter  to  Mr.  Benton,  86;  to 
Mr.  Atchison,  89 ;  to  President 
Pierce,  92,  95,  104;  purchase 
of  rifles  for  Kansas  sufferers, 
95-98,  106  ;  letters  to  Dr.  Rob- 
inson, 96,  100,  103 ;  letter  to  a 
Quaker,  108  ;  to  a  citizen  of 
Kansas,  109,  111  ;  efforts  for 
release  of  Dr.  Robinson,  110, 
111 ;  work  in  saving  Kansas  to 
freedom,  113,  114;  connection 
with  education  in  Kansas,  115 
-121 ;  acquaintance  with  John 
Brown,  122-130,  138 ;  extracts 
from  journal,  131-134;  letters 
to  Governor  Wise,  and  Jeffer- 


286 


INDEX. 


•on  Davis,  134,  136;  politics, 
139,  140,  144 ;  nominated  for 
Governor,  140,  145 ;  reception 
of  Mr.  Sumner,  141, 142, 143 ; 
his  children,  147  ;  visits  to  the 
old  homestead,  147 ;  relaxa- 
tions, 148,  149,  150;  extracts 
from  journal,  148-165 ;  treas- 
urer of  Harvard  College,  157  ; 
interest  hi  the  foundation  of 
the  Agassiz  Museum,  158-161  ; 
journey  hi  the  South,  163, 164 ; 
at  Washington  as  one  of  a 
committee,  166,  167;  speech 
on  Washington's  birthday, 
167 ;  organizes  drill  clubs,  168, 
169,  171, 172  ;  active  days,  172, 
173 ;  offer  of  service,  176,  177  ; 
letter  to  Robert  M.  Mason, 
179 ;  Second  Regiment  of  Cav- 
alry, 184-1S9  ;  interest  hi  the 
first  colored  regiment,  190; 
letters  to  his  wife,  and  his 
cousin,  191,  192 ;  journal  ex- 
tracts, 193-197;  mention  of 
his  mother,  196 ;  notice  of 
Col.  Lowell's  death,  197;  letter 
to  New  York  Times,  200; 
prayer  at  close  of  the  year, 
201 ;  inscriptions  on  library, 
203,  204  ;  letter  to  Mr.  Mason, 
204 ;  final  war  scene,  206 ;  in- 
creasing years,  207,  208  ;  letter 
to  his  uncle,  209,  210;  daily 
habits,  212,  213;  interest  hi 
town  improvements,  214,  215 ; 
correction  of  public  annoy- 
ances, 215,  216 ;  improvement 
of  Cottage  Farm,  216,  217; 
home  at  Waban  Farm,  217; 
life  at  Nahant,  217,  218,219; 
letter  to  his  son,  219 ;  training 
of  his  children,  221-225 ;  letter 
to  a  niece,  225 ;  opinions  on 
education  of  women,  227 ; 
treatment  of  servants,  227; 
sense  of  kinship,  227  ;  brother- 
ly affection,  228,  229;  inter- 
ested in  erection  of  Memorial 
Hall,  Cambridge,  230-233 ;  re- 
ligious and  church  life,  233 ;  re- 
gard for  ministers,  233-236  ; 
avoidance  of  sectarianism,  236- 
238  ;  letter  to  his  daughter, 
238 ;  connection  with  church  at 
Nahant,  239 ;  church  at  Long- 
wood,  240, 241 ;  Episcopal  Theo- 
logical School,  241-245 ;  health, 


246, 254 ;  a  summer  in  Europe, 
246 ;  a  manufacturer,  247-249 ; 
business  habits,  250, 251;  public 
interests,  251 ;  lending  money, 
252,  253 ;  favorite  form  of  be- 
neficence, 253.  254 ;  letters  of 
advice,  254,  255  ;  marriages  of 
his  children,  255;  illness  hi 
his  family,  256 ;  visits  to  sick 
neighbors,  256,  257;  failing 
eyesight,  257,  264,  266;  in- 
terest in  the  Rugby  experi- 
ment, 258 ;  overseer  of  Harvard 
College,  258 ;  views  on  taxing 
property  of  women,  258-260 ; 
memories  of  Andover  and  Gro- 
ton,  260;  letter  to  his  aunt, 
261 ;  description  of  country 
funeral,  262,  263  ;  out-of-door 
life,  264 ;  visits,  265 ;  sorrows, 
266-268 ;  new  business  respon- 
sibilities, 269,  270;  philan- 
thropic interests,  270,  271; 
sense  of  loneliness,  272 ;  visits, 
273;  journey  to  Kansas,  274; 
death  of  friends,  274 ;  meeting 
of  college  class,  275, 276 ;  death 
of  his  brother,  277  ;  operation 
for  cataract,  278,  279  ;  the  last 
Sunday,  280,  281  ;  his  death, 
281 ;  the  funeral,  282. 

Lawrence,  Mrs.  Amos  A.,  60, 155, 
191, 221, 240,  256,  272.  280. 281. 

Lawrence,  Amos  Amory,  249. 

Lawrence,  Arthur,  171,  201,  282. 

Lawrence,  Frank,  201. 

Lawrence,  James,  159,  232,  264. 

Lawrence,  John,  4. 

Lawrence,  Luther,  3. 

Lawrence,  Mary  (Mrs.  Amory), 
124,  148. 193, 194,  266-268,  275. 

Lawrence,  Robert  M.,  66. 

Lawrence,  Samuel,  Corporal  and 
Major,  1,  2. 

Lawrence,  Samuel,  3. 

Lawrence,  Susan,  34,  66. 

Lawrence,  William,  3,  210. 

Lawrence,  William  R..  32, 33,  35, 
68,  151,  228,  229,  240,  276,  277. 

Lawrence.  Kansas,  84,  99,  107, 
117,  121. 

Lawrence,  Massachusetts,  4. 

Lawrence  Hall,  Cambridge,  243- 
245. 

Lawrence  University,  Wisconsin, 
72,237. 

I/e  Baron,  William,  57,  59,  255. 

Le  Compte,  Judge,  107. 


INDEX. 


287 


Lee,      General      surrender    of, 

203. 
Lee,  Henry,  155,    170,  183,  230, 

232. 

Letters,  European,  36. 
Lexington,  anniversary  of  battle, 

148. 

Liberia,  53,  74. 
Lincoln,  ex-Governor,  134. 
Lincoln,  President,  156,  200,  203, 

204. 

Little,  James  L.  &  Co.,  269. 
Longfellow,  Professor,  124,  142, 

159,  195,  218. 
Longwood,  60,  67,  147,  212,  216, 

229,  239,  272. 
Loring,  Rev.  Bailey,  9. 
Loring,  Charles  G.,  230. 
Lothrop,  Dr.,  33,  69,  234. 
Lowell,  Jackson's  visit  to,  18. 
Lowell,  Charles  R.,  185-188, 197- 

199. 

Lowell,  J.  A.,  159. 
Lowell,  J.  Russell,  276. 
Lyman,  Theodore,  231. 
Lynn,  66,  108;  bay,  218. 

Marion,  155. 

Mason  &  Lawrence,  50. 

Mason,  Charles,  34,  35 ;  wife  of, 
66. 

Mason,  Jeremiah,  34. 

Mason,  Philip,  195. 

Mason,  Robert  M.,  35,  50,  51, 
151,  179,  204,  243. 

Massachusetts,  174,  186. 

Massachusetts  Emigrants'  Aid 
Association,  78. 

Massachusetts  General  Hospital, 
53. 

Massachusetts  Historical  Society, 
25,273. 

Massachusetts  Hospital  Life 
Company,  251. 

Massachusetts  Society  for  Pro- 
moting Agriculture,  251. 

Massachusetts  Society  of  the  Cin- 
cinnati, 251. 

Massachusetts  Soldiers'  Fund, 
174. 

Mather,  Henry  B.,  51,  274. 

Mathew,  Father,  44-48,  234. 

McClellan,  General,  185. 

Mcllvaine,  Bishop  of  Ohio,  54. 

McLean  Asylum,  53. 

McPherson,  General,  196. 

Meade,  General,  193. 

Medford,  279. 


Melbourne,  Lord,  42. 
Memorial  Hall,  172,  231-233. 
Merrimac,  The,  3. 
Methodists,  70,  71,  260. 
Miles,  Major  Charles  H.,  202. 
Milldam,  The,  60,  62,  213. 
Mills,  Mrs.  James  K.,  265. 
Missouri,  77,  89,  94,  95,  98. 
Mormonism,  271. 
Morton,  Dr.,  162. 
Motley,  Mrs.  Lothrop,  124. 
Mudge,  E.  R.,  231. 

Nahant,  66,  195,  196,  217-219, 
225,  235,  239,  274,  276,  279. 

National  Association  of  Cotton 
Manufacturers  and  Planters, 
249. 

Nebraska,  75,  79. 

New  England  Emigrant  Aid  Com- 
pany, 79,  80,  92,  94,  102,  106, 
108,  113. 

New  England  Trust  Company, 
251. 

Newport,  181,  279. 

New  York  Times,  The,  200. 

Nichols,  Mrs.,  102. 

Norfolk  Navy  Yard,  171. 

North  Carolina,  179. 

North  Elba,  129,  134. 

Nute,  Rev.  Mr.,  117,  119. 

Ohio,  27. 

Osgood,  Captain,  9. 

Osgood,  Rev.  Dr.,  155. 

Osawatomie,   Kansas,    109,   124, 

128,  130,  131. 
Pacific  Mills,  269,  270. 
Packard,  Professor,  80,  234. 
Paddock,  Bishop,  235. 
Paducah,  28. 
Paige,  J.  W.,  1%. 
Palfrey,  Dr.,  234. 
Papanti,  186. 
Parker,  F.  E.,  153,  154. 
Parker,  Judge  Joel,  155. 
Parker,  Susanna,  1,  2. 
Peabody,  Dr.,  234. 
Peirce,  Professor  Benjamin,  196. 
Pemberton  Mill,  163. 
Pemberton  Square,  49,  56, 173. 
Perkins,  Lieutenant,  181. 
Perry,  Dr.,  142. 
Philadelphia,  19. 
Photograph,  161. 
Pierce,  Franklin,  21,  22,  67,  88, 

92,  95,  98,  103,  104,  107,  111, 

137. 


288 


INDEX. 


Pierce,  Mrs.,  67,  111. 

Pittsburgh,  26. 

Pomeroy,  Mr.  8.  C.,  86, 96,  110, 

116,  120. 

Posters,  215,  216. 
Pottawatomie,  123,  133,  138. 
Potter,  Dr.  Henry  C.,  235. 
Prescott,  Colonel,  1. 
Prince  of  Wales,  155. 
Putnam,  J.  P.,  241. 

Quincy,  Josiab,  181. 
Quincy,  President,  12,  142,  154, 
155, 161. 

Radstock,  Lord,  160. 

Railroad  bridges,  171 ;  whistles, 

216. 

Rainsford  Island,  26. 
Rand,  Edward  S.,  241. 
Rebellion,  final  events  of,  201, 

202. 

Recruiting,  186,  187. 
Reed,  Benjamin  T.,  241,  244. 
Reeder,  Governor,  93,  94,  98. 
Regatta,  149. 
Regiments,  the  Sixth,  170;  the 

Fifty-fourth,   190;   return  of, 

205,206. 

Revere,  Paul,  175. 
Richards,  George,  61. 
Richards,  Giles,  4,  208. 
Richards,  Sarah,  4. 
Richardson,  Mr.,  231. 
Riches,  24. 

Richmond  surrendered,  202. 
Rifles  for  Kansas,  95-98,  99,  131, 

135. 

Robeson,  William  R.,  273,  276. 
Robie,  Rev.  Mr.,  262. 
Robinson,  Dr.    Charles,   83,  94, 

96,  99,  103,  205,  107,  110-113, 

115, 117, 119,  120,  122-124,  130, 

143,274;  his  wife,  111. 
Rogers,  Henry  B.,  230,  265. 
Rogers,  Miss  Laura,  265. 
Rome,  36. 
Rugby,  242. 
Russell,  George,  181. 
Russell,  Henry  S.,  186. 
Russell,  Le  Baron,  189. 
Rustication,  13. 

St.  John's  Memorial  Chapel,  243. 
Sales,  Professor,  54. 
Salignae,  Colonel,  168. 
Salmon  Falls  Company,  52,  150, 
247,  270. 


i  Sanitary  Commission,  178. 

Sanders  bequest,  160,  231. 

Saugus  Hills,  218. 

Savannah,  163. 
,  Scott,  General,  167. 
,  Sears,  Mr.  David,  GO,  159,  238. 

Sedgwick,  Major-Geueral,  194. 

Serenade,  148. 

Seward,  Mr.,  167,  169,  203,  204. 

Shannon,  Wilson,  98,  99. 

Shaw,  Chief  Justice,  158, 159. 

Shaw,  F.  G.,  189. 

Shaw,  Quincy,  181. 

Shaw,  Colonel  Robert  G.,  190. 

Sheridan,  General,  198. 

Sherman's   March    to  the    Sea. 
201. 

Shurtleff,  Dr.,  181, 

Skating,  62,  63,  148,  150,  245. 

Slade,  Dr.,  280. 

Smith,  Gerritt,  105. 

Smith,  Mayor,  76. 

Smith,   the  Misses    of    Glaston- 
bury,  258. 

Soldiers,   call    for,   169 ;  Massa- 
chusetts, 186. 

Solferino,  153. 

South  Carolina,  164,  165. 

Southern  prisoners,  178. 

Sj/arks,  President,  155,  159,  161. 

Spiritualism,  1%. 

Spring,  Professor,  94. 

Steamships,  Boston  to  New  Or- 
leans, 235. 

Stearns,  George  L.,  129, 131, 189. 

Stearns,  John  F.j'IS. 

Stevenson,  General,  194. 

Stone,  Goodwin,  195. 

Stone,  Rev.  J.  S.,  D.  D.,  33,  153, 
212,  234,  243. 

Study,  methods  of,  13. 

Subscribers  for  arms,  97. 

Suffrage,  universal,  259,  260. 

Sumner,  Charles,   139,   140-143, 
146,  154,  167,  195,  196. 

Sumner,  George,  142. 

Suttle,  Colonel.  75. 

Swampscott,  182,  276,  277. 

Tariff,  249. 

Taxation,  258-260. 

Taylor,  Father,  234. 

Tennessee,  174. 

Thanksgiving,  156,  209,  210,  211, 

266,278. 
Thayer,  Eli,  77,  78,  81,  83,  So, 

113,114,271. 
Thompson,  Newell  A.,  149. 


INDEX. 


289 


Thursday  Evening  Club,  273. 
Ticknor,  George,  160. 
Torbett,  General,  198. 
Tucker,  Alanson,  265. 
Tyng,  Rev.  Dr.,  238,  239. 

Union  meeting,  134. 

Union  men,  174. 

Unitarian  Divinity  School,  242. 

United  States  Bank,  35. 

Uphain,  Henry,  231. 

Utah,  270,  271. 

Van  Buren,  Vice-President,  18, 
19,42. 

Vinton,  Rev.  A.  H.,  49,  55,  233, 
234. 

Virginia,  29,  133,  135,  194. 

Volunteers,  called  for,  169  ;  col- 
ored regiment,  189. 

Waban  Hill  Farm,  194,  212,  217, 

277. 
Wadsworth,    Brigadier-General, 

193. 

Wakarusa,  83. 
Walker,  President,  157-161. 
Walton,  Dr.,  ]55. 
Warren,  Dr.,  68. 
Washburn,  ex-Governor,  160. 
Washington,  18,  19,  171. 


Washington,  George,  theory  of, 
167. 

Webb,  Dr.,  96,  106,  132. 

Webster,  Daniel,  20,  34, 73. 

Wedding,  194,  272. 

Weld,  Stephen  M.,  230. 

Wellington,  Duke  of,  41,  42. 

Wells,  Dr.  E.  M.  P.,  235. 

Wells,  William,  6. 

Wentworth,  Oliver,  147, 219, 220. 

Wharton,  Rev.  Dr.,  214,  234,  244. 

Whittier,  John  G.,  verses  of,  82. 

Wilder,  Captain,  171. 

Williams,  Dr.,  257. 

Williams,  Rev.  Eleazer,  68,  69. 

Williams,  J.  M.  S.,  81,  85,  271. 

Wilson,  Senator  Henry,  105,  106, 
131,  139,  146,  154. 

Winthrop,  Robert  C.,  166,  214, 
241,  273. 

Wisconsin  enterprise,  68,  69,  70, 
115,  121. 

Wise,  Governor,  134. 

Wisset,  England,  4,  217. 

Women,  aimless  lives  of,  224, 
226 ;  education  of,  227  ;  injus- 
tice towards,  258-260. 

Wounded  men,  194. 

Young  Men's  Benevolent  Soci- 
ety, 54. 


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